Fire and Brimstone
by thewildchild
Summary: After Sparta, Tommy's life is going better than it ever has before. Tommy never had much interest in pursuing girls, until his old high school flame shows up in Pittsburgh and turns his world upside down. Rated M for language and adult content. Tommy/OC
1. Chapter 1

**Fire and Brimstone**

**Summary: **After Sparta, Tommy returns to Pittsburgh and his life is going better than it ever has before. His relationship with Brendan is mostly salvaged and his nieces know who he is. Even his father is somewhat tolerable. Tommy never had much interest in pursuing girls, until his old high school flame shows up in Pittsburgh and turns his world upside down.

**Disclaimer: **All rights to Warrior belong to Gavin O'Connor and the cast and crew of the film. I own nothing except the characters not featured in the film. I definitely don't own Tommy Conlon (no matter how much I wish I did).

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**Chapter One**

Once Tommy had allowed the proceedings of his military hearing to go through, he was allowed to return to Pittsburgh. The hearing had gone well, better than Tommy could have possibly hoped. He'd been discharged and wouldn't be allowed to return to the service again. That was fine, he didn't want to return to service. It was because of the testimonies of the men he saved while he was fleeing the country that he was spared a much worse punishment. That punishment could have been a prison sentence. A dishonorable discharge and a stripping of all ranks, awards, medals, etc. were definitely better than prison time. He never wanted medals anyway, or he would have been more open about having been a "war hero," and stayed in Iraq. After Manny had died, he couldn't do it anymore. Everything he'd loved in the world had died: his corps brother and his mother. His brother had been dead to him for so long for abandoning his mother and him. His father…Tommy hadn't even seen him for fourteen years because he couldn't be in the same room with the man.

Things had changed, though, since Sparta. Once a week, Tommy made it to Philly to see Brendan and his family. His nieces knew him now and loved being around him. They would pretend wrestle. Tess and Brendan would watch with eyes glowing. The first time Tommy visited, Brendan almost teared up. It helped that Brendan split the reward for Sparta in half. 2.5 million dollars was enough for Brendan to pay off all of his debts and the house as well as set aside an incredible college fund for Rosie and Emily. They were set for life. Brendan didn't need or want anything more than that and sent the rest to Manny's wife in El Paso while Tommy was being held in military custody. Tommy wanted to kill Brendan when he got out. He didn't like handouts. But it had already been done and that was that.

Brendan went back to teaching and didn't enter the ring again after winning Sparta. Tommy had found a decent job making a decent living at the gym where he'd trained for Sparta, Colt's. He'd been offered a number of sponsorships, but turned all of them down. Tommy wasn't necessarily sure if he was planning on entering the octagon again, but it didn't hurt to stay sharp. Tommy had picked up his real last name again and was putting down a real address now. He'd gotten an apartment, pretty close to the gym. It wasn't much, but it was out of his dad's house.

Brendan and Tommy's relationship with their father also improved after Sparta. Now, he was allowed to visit Brendan with Tommy every once in a while so long as he maintained his sobriety and temper. The girls called him Grandpop. Things really seemed to be going well for that family for once. And, even though the boys never forgave their father for what happened to their mother, they had moved past it. Getting fourteen years of repressed rage out on each other in the Octagon at Sparta had a lot to do with it.

Regardless, sometimes Tommy and Brendan would take a trip up to Frank's gym when Tommy came to visit and the boys would put a beat down on each other. Sometimes Tommy won, sometimes Brendan won. People always watched. The fights were always incredibly intense and always ended in burly bear hugs. They were friendly, though. They didn't have to be pried apart by referees because they were trying to kill each other. It always stayed fun. Of course, Tess never went to watch these sparring matches. After watching them in the cage at Sparta, she couldn't bear to see the two of them go at it again. There were points in the match where she almost hoped Brendan would forfeit because she was worried Tommy wouldn't tap and she knew Brendan would never forgive himself for killing his own brother. Especially right after reuniting again for the first time.

It was the first time Brendan had seen Tommy…not necessarily happy, but not ready to rip someone's head off at every turn. He didn't look like he hated everything anymore. It was refreshing and Brendan was happy to have his brother back, at least in these tiny ways. In the months following Sparta and his hearing, Tommy spent his days at the gym, working and then working out. Once he was done, he usually headed to a local strip club for a few drinks that was right down the street from the gym, on his way home.

He'd only been to that bar a few times, mainly because he didn't really have the time or energy after a day of working and then beating guys up. But, the drinks were good and that was all Tommy really cared about. He didn't give a shit about the strippers, didn't even look at them, let alone tip them. He thought they were trashy and none of them were good looking. Plus, Tommy was always too…Tommy to even care about going after a girl. It was something Brendan insisted on bringing up every single time they got together.

"Tommy, you should find a nice girl. Settle down. You could finally be happy."

And Tommy would always laugh at Brendan and make some excuse about how a girl would yank him out of the ring, just like Tess did to Brendan. That usually got him to shut up about it. If Tommy was being totally honest with himself, the reason he didn't actively look for a girlfriend or even a date was because he wasn't sure how to…handle himself. Not that he got nervous or choked up around girls. That wasn't his problem. He could charm any girl into his bed if he wanted to and had before. He wasn't sure if he could handle a relationship. He wasn't sure if he knew how a relationship worked. The only one he ever saw growing up was his mom and dad's and that was far from functional. And what would happen if Tommy ended up like his father? He didn't want to have that man's disease, that man's curse.

No, Tommy was better off alone. And he liked it that way. He knew there weren't many people out there who could handle his coldness. The way he pushed his father out of sobriety. The way he let Brendan go without knowing their mom was sick until she was already gone. Tommy had a mean streak in him and he knew that. He was open about it. His temper was never in check. And even if he wanted to believe he would never lay a hand on a woman in anger, he didn't want to even take that chance. After all, when he fought Brendan at Sparta, a ref had to pull Tommy off of Brendan to keep him from killing his own brother. Tommy's temper had the capacity to be dangerous.

About three months after Sparta, Tommy was sitting in a bar by himself drinking a beer. It wasn't the strip club this time; it was a suggestion from one of the guys at the gym. Apparently they were a microbrewery and some of the beer they made in house was really good. By Tommy's opinion, it was decent. He preferred what he knew. But nothing had prepared Tommy for what he saw walk into the bar that night, Charlotte Annabel McLane.

Tommy had only had one girlfriend in his life. He was seventeen, she was sixteen and they both were in high school. She was definitely good-looking, but Tommy knew he was going into the Marines after high school and she didn't want him to go. Tommy only remembered the day they broke up because of that fight they got into about the Marines that resulted in him putting his fist through her bedroom wall because he was so angry. He knew how close he had come to hitting her and stormed out, never spoke to her again. Tommy had really cared about that girl for a time in his life. There was a point he even thought he could have loved her. Charlotte. Most people called her by her full name, but Tommy had called her Charlie. She was named after her grandmother. Last Tommy heard, she was in New York City doing something impressive with her life.

After Charlotte, Tommy didn't date; he just had dates. Girls would see him at a bar and recognize him from Sparta or the news or not at all. He didn't have any trouble getting what he wanted from them, but it was always empty. Tommy wasn't lonely, not really. It had been years since he'd even thought about Charlotte and it had been ten years since he'd even seen her. She didn't see him at first, which gave him a moment to look her over.

She had been pretty in high school, but she had really come into her own now. One thing Tommy could always count on when he was seventeen was that he would always know her by her bright green eyes. They were almost a turquoise color on the outside, getting greener closer to her iris. Her brown wavy hair hung over her shoulders. Her full pink lips that Tommy remembered so well. Could it have really been ten years? She was lean, little. She wore a pair of skinny jeans and some leather boots over top of them with a small heel and an oversized green sweater that hung off of one of her shoulders, showing her slightly tanned collarbones. Tommy, though, was definitely not going to say something. Not after how he had left things with her. He downed the rest of his beer and paid his tab and left. He knew she had seen him when he left, looking up from the table she was sitting at with her old high school friends now also all grown up.

Natural curiosity had Tommy asking himself what the hell she was doing here when her life was probably perfect. She didn't belong here anymore either. She was too good for a place like this. But, Tommy told himself he didn't care and that he wouldn't care. She'd go back to her perfect life in a few days most likely and he'd never run into her again.

When he'd gotten home, Tommy just flipped on the TV and flopped on the couch before beginning on his dinner. He never really learned how to eat the food normal people ate. When he was a kid and his father trained him, he ate like an athlete. When he was in the Marines, he ate like a soldier. When he was training for Sparta, he ate like a bodybuilder. It was this combination that made Tommy's tastes somewhat strange. Usually, he just threw some pasta in a pot and ate it like that. Maybe he would throw some sauce in the microwave to throw on top of it. Sometimes he would have a sandwich. Tonight, it was the usual pasta. And a protein shake. It was only about nine at night when Tommy went to his room and went to sleep. He had to wake up early and do it all again in the morning and the gym opened at seven.

After his shift, Tommy always stuck around to get a bit of a work out in. When he trained for Sparta, he exercised five to six hours per day every single day. Now, he usually got about an hour in after his shift. Sometimes, when he needed to be…Tommy, he would stay until the gym closed at 11. Considering Tommy usually got off work at around four in the afternoon, it gave him a lot of time to let loose. It was usually only on days where he really needed time to think or to let his anger out. Seeing Charlotte had shaken Tommy. It reminded him of his mom being sick, of how horrible he could be in some situations, how he tended to only be so cruel to the people he loved like Brendan and his father.

He was really letting loose on the heavy bag when the bell to the door rang. He turned, thinking he would see the normal hotshot guy who watched too much UFC walk in. Most of these guys really just needed to get in the ring and then they tended to realize they weren't meant for any of this racket. The staff and members had thought that about Tommy when he first started working out there. And then he laid Mad Dog Grimes out like he was an amateur, not the number one middleweight in the world.

But it wasn't some hotshot. It was Charlotte. She didn't look so neatly put together today, though. Just a gray v-neck underneath of a black jacket, a pair of jeans and some moccasins. She looked like Charlotte from high school. But Tommy noticed something about her that he didn't notice the night before. She was wearing a pair of pearl earrings. Pearl earrings he had given her in high school that had belonged to his mother.

"What can I do for ya, miss?" asked Colt as he approached Charlotte. Tommy went back to the punching bag in front of him, intent on not looking in her direction if he could avoid it. What was she doing here?

"I don't want to be a bother," she began, "But…I saw something about a Tommy Conlon on CNN during that big fighting tournament a few months ago. It said that he worked out and trained here. Do you know where I could find him?" Her voice was just the same, soft and innocent sounding with a very slight rasp from smoking too many cigarettes. Apparently she hadn't seen Tommy when she walked in.

"Yeah, our one and only Tommy is here, working out over there." Colt pointed Tommy out to her and she headed over in the direction, tapping him on the shoulder.

"What do you want, Charlie?" Tommy asked without taking any of his attention from the heavy bag. He had to hit it a certain number of times before he could rest.

"I don't want anything. I just wanted to say hello. Maybe catch up."

"No…" Tommy hit the bag over and over and over before turning towards her, but looking past her. She took a deep breath when she saw him. He had been a pretty good-sized guy in high school, but now he was nothing but muscle, head to toe. He was huge. "I mean what the hell are you doing back here?"

"My dad is in the hospital. With my parents being divorced and all, you can imagine my mom wasn't going to help. You know I don't have any siblings. I'm the only one who can take care of him."

"Sorry to hear that, Charlie," Tommy grumbled before turning back to the bag. The entire time she spoke, he didn't look at her. "You know…we haven't spoken in over ten years. Why try and talk to me now?"

"Why not?" Tommy hit the bag especially hard when she said that. She had always been that way. Spontaneous and all about living in the moment. "I saw you at that bar last night. I hadn't even thought of you in so long, but I dunno, it just felt like a good time to try and rebuild those broken bridges while I was in town. And, after that thing on TV with the tournament and the Marines. I couldn't believe I used to date a celebrity. Get yourself cleaned up. Have a coffee with me." Yeah, typical Charlie. She was always making demands, bossing people around, all about carpe diem and whatever else she wanted to do. She always got her way, too. She was always so good at convincing people to do what she wanted. She was hypnotizing, more than anything. That was why Tommy wouldn't look at her.

"I don' think thas' a good idea," Tommy said, continuing to abuse the punching bag.

"Why's that, Tommy?"

"We break up on the best terms."

"Tommy it's been ten years. I'm here right now, clearly over it and clearly doing fine. You were the one who ran away…literally ran across my front lawn back home to your mom and never said another word to me ever again." Tommy stopped, letting out a growl-like sigh and finally turned to look at her, but his eyes were anything but friendly, his jaw locked. He peeled the gloves off of his hands and tossed them onto the ground. And then he started to walk away, but she followed him, running up next to him.

"Really, Tommy, after ten years?"

"Look, I'm sorry about your pops. But, I got my own shit and I don't need some old flame popping up in my life trying to be friends. I always liked your dad. Tell the old man I said hi."

"He always hated you."

"You can take your dad and your getting coffee bullshit and take it to some other ex-boyfriend." She stopped in her tracks dead in front of him, blocking his path up the stairs to the locker room. He glared at her but she only glared back, a smirk playing on her lips. It made Tommy roll his eyes.

"Tommy, at least grab a drink with me. One drink. For old time's sake, please," she said, her smirk now a full smile as she pleaded with him.

"Know what? Fine. But you're payin'. Lemme go change." She stepped out of his way as he brushed past her to go to the locker room. He didn't take his eyes off of her as he walked by, staring out of the corner of his eye as one of his massive biceps brushed her tiny shoulder. He was much taller than her, that was certain, much bigger as well. But he could never intimidate her and he knew it too well. He wasn't used to it. Most people were scared of him after seeing his behavior at Sparta, knocking guys out cold with a single punch. Not Charlotte. She stared at him as he went up the steps and once he was out of her view, she went back to the front and sat down in one of the chairs to wait.

He was back out in less than five minutes, hair wet from a quick shower and in a new set of clothes. Granted, he looked very just-rolled-out-of-bed because he seemed to wear nothing but sweatpants and sweatshirts over wifebeaters, but that was just all he kept in his locker. Surely, he owned a pair of jeans somewhere in his house. Of course, he was already chomping away at a toothpick as he headed towards the door and she got up. He held the door open for her, which was a good sign, but the two walked to a bar down the street in absolute silence.

They didn't get a table, but opted just to sit at the bar and Tommy ordered himself a drink, she told the bartender to make it two.

"Still not drinking like a lady, I see," Tommy joked, the first to break the smile as he put his toothpick down on the bar and took a sip of his beer.

"Probably never will," she responded, smiling. "How's your life going? How's your brother and your dad? You never talked about them much in high school."

"Brendan's good, married with two girls. My pops is alright, trying to get sober and shit. How 'bout you?"

"Like I said, my dad's not doing great. I'm only in town to help take care of him and settle some things with the estate. You know how it goes, though." She almost felt guilty for bringing up Tommy's mother. She and Tommy had broken up before she'd died, but she was sick while they were dating and died soon after. It was a big deal in school and everyone knew about it. After that was when Tommy basically shut down. Stopped trying at anything, barely scraped by on grades, stopped wrestling. He did only as much as he needed to get into the Marines.

"Yeah…so you're in New York, right?"

"Yeah…yeah. I ended up there after college. I got a good offer from the New York City Ballet Company there. I couldn't really turn it down."

Tommy turned away from her to look at the bottles of liquor stacked up against the wall behind the bar. She had always been an incredible dancer. Her small frame helped. She'd started dancing when she was three and never really stopped. She was clearly doing well now, making decent money based on her clothes. Tommy didn't know a single thing about dancing or ballet other than the dance he did in the ring. Maybe that was why they'd been so compatible and yet fought so much. She was delicate, small, something that needed protecting. Tommy was rough, big, a protector. But, she wasn't interested in being protected and she liked his roughness. He was always scared he would accidently break her somehow, like snapping the stem of a tulip from holding it too tightly.

They finished their drinks in relative silence, watching a football game on TV. Once they were done, Charlotte paid the bill without a second thought and left a decent tip for the bartender. As she headed towards the door, Tommy stopped her.

"Let me walk ya home."

"That's really not necessary."

"Yeah it is. Town isn't safe for a pretty thing like you to be walking home at night." She didn't respond but walked through the door as he held it open for her. "Where ya staying?"

"The hotel just a few blocks down," she said, pointing down the street where a Hilton rose up above most of the other buildings.

"Fancy, huh?" he joked. She smiled at him. Something was different about him. He was still Tommy, obviously. Still a big ball of repressed anger and a fiery temper that no one ever could predict. But he didn't seem so angry anymore. It was like there was something he'd gotten back that she'd always seen as missing, his family. It was good that he had someone again. After his mom died, he didn't have anyone and that contributed to a lot of the pain he had. But he was always so brave. Now he didn't have to be anymore. It was like a huge weight was lifted off of his shoulders. He seemed more relaxed, more open to the places life had the potential to take him. He would always be the same old Tommy, all asshole and fire, bottled up pain and the ability to be cruel. But he didn't feel like he had to be cruel anymore. He wasn't so defensive.

They walked in silence, both with their hands shoved in their pockets. It was a chilly night, but not terribly cold. The leaves on the trees were beginning to change colors as October settled into Pittsburgh. The walk only took a few minutes and she stopped outside the entrance of the hotel.

"Let me give you my number. In case you want to catch up some more or get together or something," she said, looking at her feet as she stepped on a brown crunchy leaf. Tommy looked skeptical, but agreed and handed her his cell phone so she could type in the phone number.

"Have a good night, Charlie," he said as she turned to head inside the hotel. She turned and smiled at him over her shoulder and for a second it felt like it hadn't been ten years. It felt like walking her home after a date on the town. For a moment they were teenagers again with their whole lives before them and no problems to speak of. For a moment, they both forgot about the distance and the fighting and the pain and smiled at each other before she turned and walked back to him, throwing her arms around his broad shoulders in a bear hug. She could feel him tense up at her touch, like she was burning him. She could feel the strong muscles of his back and shoulders. He wouldn't hug her back and she expected that, but she didn't care. It had been so long since she'd felt those arms and that tension.

"It was good seeing you. Don't be a stranger, Tommy," she said, giving him a light peck on the cheek before running inside. She hadn't changed one bit. She was still as playful and goofy and adorable as Tommy remembered when he saw her that last day they were together. He wondered what would have happened if they had another chance at being teenagers again, if they could do that whole thing over. Maybe his mom wouldn't have gotten sick. Maybe he wouldn't have wanted to go into the Marines. Maybe he would have talked to her about it instead of being a stubborn ass like he always was. But he could ask himself what if and say maybe as many times as he wanted, but it would never take them back to that day when he punched a hole in her bedroom wall.

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**A/N: **Please review. I've already begun work on the next chapter and I'm more than halfway through on it. But if this story doesn't do well, I'll just be writing it for myself and not post it up here. I hope you like it, though! Any suggestions, feel free to post them in the reviews. Any spelling/grammar mistakes, let me know!


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: **After positive reviews, I decided to finish and publish this second chapter. I want to try and keep the characters as IN CHARACTER as possible, so please let me know if they drop out of character at all because I don't want to mess that up at all. That's my least favorite thing to have happen.

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**Chapter Two**

Tommy stared at his phone the majority of the night, wondering if he should just send her a quick text that would allow her to have his phone number. He couldn't think of a situation where he'd just contact her out of the blue, but that didn't mean he didn't want to see her again. It wasn't his style to pursue, especially since he didn't know what he was doing in this situation in the first place. Tomorrow was a Saturday, which meant that he wasn't working and he was going to be visiting his two nieces, brother, and sister-in-law. He hadn't been by in a few weeks. The five-hour drive was always a bit taxing for him, but he was usually in high spirits when he saw the smiles on Rosie and Emily's faces.

Tommy still hadn't sent her a text or even touched his phone by the time he went to bed around two in the morning. When his alarm went off at eight, he fumbled to the coffee pot and choked down a scalding cup of black coffee before hopping into an icy shower. He didn't have time for breakfast and was already running late as he got in the car and hit the turnpike towards Philly. He couldn't help but think about her on the drive, staring at his cell sitting in the cup holder.

Who did she think she was showing up back here and coming looking for him? She didn't have the right to do that. Not in those fancy clothes with her fancy life in New York City. But damn, she looked good. She looked better than she did in high school and she was gorgeous even then. But, personality-wise, she hadn't changed at all. She was still just as light and airy as Tommy remembered. That was what he'd liked about her. She had a way of helping him not take the world so seriously. It refreshed him. When everything was going bad, he could always count on her to cheer him up by dragging him onto her adventures.

When he arrived at Brendan's house, the welcoming party was already waiting for him on the front porch, Brendan and the girls. It was already past two in the afternoon, which meant he would be staying for dinner. Of course, Tess wouldn't let him leave without getting a meal in him.

"Hey, Tommy!" Brendan called, waving from the porch as Tommy got out of the car. He gave a very halfhearted Tommy-esque smile back as the two girls rushed him, the smaller one hugging him around the leg and the bigger one around the waist.

"Hi, Uncle Tommy! We missed you," Emily squealed, smiling up at him. "We get to play all day, don't we?"

"Yeah, yeah," Tommy said, letting out a small laugh. Brendan was beaming, of course. It was so rare to see Tommy smile and laugh. He looked genuinely okay lately and it was incredible. "Go inside, let me talk to your daddy real quick, girls." The two girls released Tommy from their death grips and dashed inside to where Tess was waiting, looking out the door at him. She smiled as she shuttled the girls inside.

"How've you been, Tommy?" Brendan asked as the two brothers gave each other big bear hugs.

"Been alright. Not much to report, really. Oh, 'cept my old high school girlfriend showed up at the gym looking for me yesterday," Tommy joked. Brendan made a face that was somewhere between confused and genuinely interested.

"What'd she want? This is the one who's wall you punched through, right?" Brendan asked. Even though Brendan and Tommy had their differences growing up, the two stayed in touch. They never saw each other, but they talked, very sporadically and usually the conversations were very short. That is, until after Tommy graduated high school and went off into the Marines. It was somewhere around then that Brendan asked Tess to marry him and the two got hitched.

"Only one…but, uh…I dunno, man, she said she wanted to get a drink and catch up."

"How long had it been?"

"Somethin' like ten years or so."

"What are you thinking?"

"I dunno. It's weird."

"You gonna see her again?"

"I dunno, Brendan, ya know? I dunno if I wanna go strolling down memory lane like that."

"Yeah, I can understand that…maybe just give it a chance though?"

"Yeah…we'll see."

The day went by much faster than Tommy expected and wanted it to. With the money from Sparta, Brendan had bought the girls in a trampoline and Tommy spent a good two hours playing on it with them. They tried to teach him how to do a flip, but mostly they settled for playing games. Once they were done with that, the girls made a show of riding on Tommy's back like a horse through the entire house, which didn't necessarily make Tess the happiest person in the world.

"Tommy, please be careful!" she would almost shriek every time one of the girls came anywhere near falling off. Tess had made a delicious dinner and after he ate, Tommy went and sat on the front porch for a while with Brendan and the two talked. About their dad, about Tess, about the girls, about their jobs, about their gyms, about everything. It was nice, even Tommy had to admit it, having someone to talk to who actually cared about what he had to say. It was days like these where he didn't feel as nagged by a guilty conscience about Manny and the others in his unit who had died when Tommy had been the only survivor. Tommy knew he had no reason to feel guilty, but for a long time he had wished he died along with them. Then he realized that surviving meant he could provide for Manny's family. And now they were set for life. The guilt hadn't faded away completely, but it had definitely started to ebb as time went by.

"All I'm saying is give the girl a chance. Hate to see you miss out on being happy, Tommy," said Brendan with a smile, clapping Tommy on the back as the sun started to dip below the horizon. Tommy didn't say anything, but he took note of his brother's words. Brendan seemed really happy with a family, madly in love, living comfortably. Tommy wasn't jealous of his brother at all, but he did notice how much happier this Brendan was than the Brendan of their childhood.

When it was getting close to seven, Tommy started his drive back. There wasn't any traffic because of how late it was, so he was able to make the trip in less time than earlier and got in around eleven. He had made the decision that he would let a day or two go by before he shot a text over to Charlotte. He realized how pathetic that was, planning out his text messages like he was in high school, but he knew it was probably the right thing to do. If he texted her too early she might get the wrong idea and never leave him alone.

It was around five in the afternoon two days later that Tommy finally just said fuck it and sent her a text while he was in the locker room changing back into his regular clothes after having worked out all day – since he had the day off – and showering.

_Charlotte, it's Tommy. Realized you didn't have my number. So here it is._

That was all he was going to send and she could do with it whatever she wanted. He hoped she wasn't going to be too annoying, but she didn't respond right away, so that was a good sign. Tommy went to the strip club bar that night to have a beer before going home. It had been a few hours and she hadn't answered. Once Tommy got home, his phone still remained dead silent and he passed out in his bed in just a t-shirt and boxers. He was woken up at six in the morning by his phone vibrating on his nightstand with a text from Charlotte.

_Hey, let's paint the town tonight, party hard for old time's sake. And honestly, I'll probably need it after everything I have to do today. Let me know. –Charlie_

Tommy was somewhat concerned. What kind of rough day did she have in store that she'd need to legitimately get hammered to deal with it? One thing Tommy knew about Charlie from high school was that she could put away some alcohol. But when she really wanted to get messed up, she was a hurricane. Back in the day, he had been the only one to really keep her from tearing the world to pieces when she got like that, which probably had a lot to do with her proposal.

_Sure._

He didn't think he needed to write back more. She would know where to find him whenever she was done with what she needed to do. After that, Tommy passed back out until his alarm went off at nine. Even though he wasn't opening the gym, he had to be down there at ten for work and was working until five. When he got there, he took his place behind the front desk, kicking his feet up on the counter and watching ESPN on the television that was hooked up in the corner. The gym, despite the publicity it received during Sparta, rarely received new members. With Mad Dog and Tommy both working out there, most of the guys who didn't actually know what they were doing didn't wander in anymore looking for trainers or a place to exercise. It was too intimidating. The only people who came in, usually, were the regulars. All the big and intimidating guys and their trainers and managers.

Tommy's job was a joke, but it paid well and he didn't have to do much, which was how he liked it. On some days, he got some extra money on the side by throwing down with the other fighters. But it was more of a survival game. How long can your guy last in the ring with Tommy Conlon? The answer was usually very far under a minute.

And Tommy always won, even when he was asked to fight Mad Dog again and again. How many hits this guy's pride could take wasn't Tommy's problem. The two hundred dollars Tommy got paid for "keeping Mad Dog warm" was an added bonus to making sure the punk kept himself in check and stopped strutting around everywhere like he was god's gift to the world. Tommy would probably beat the crap out of the guy for free. After Tommy knocked him out in Sparta, Mad Dog had to stop fighting for month while his face healed. Everything from both of his eye sockets to his chin were busted and broken.

Once five o'clock rolled around, Tommy shuffled up to the locker room and changed into a pair of sweatpants and a wifebeater, shoving the pair of jeans and t-shirt he had worn into the place into the locker. Tommy was planning on staying to work out until whenever Charlotte showed up to meet him. He assumed, at least, that she knew to meet him there. She didn't show until after nine o'clock while Tommy was winding down from his workout and was in the ring going at the pads with one of the other guys. She looked like she'd been crying. Her eyes were red, but her make-up was still perfectly in place. Still, Tommy could tell that something was off about her.

"Whas' a matter, sweetheart?" he asked, popping out his mouth guard. She just shook her head, which Tommy took to mean that she would tell him later.

"Let's just get going, Tommy. I could really use a drink," she sighed. He peeled his gloves off and headed up to the locker room while she took a seat in the front. While Tommy was upstairs, he had the displeasure of running into Mad Dog. Mad Dog was just leaving the locker room as Tommy was exiting the shower.

"Yo, Balboa, who's that little dime been showing up 'round here for you?" Mad Dog asked, the look on his face showing some pretty impure intentions. Tommy didn't feel like answering and just sort of grunted as he started to get dressed. "Seriously, what's the skinny on the bitch?"

"Call her that again, you'll have to go on bed rest while your face heals again."

"Shut the fuck up, Conlon. You and I both know you wouldn't do that. You don't got the balls. Tell me about the little tart." Tommy didn't answer, just kept getting dressed. If Mad Dog wasn't going to call her anything too derogatory, he wasn't going to react. He wasn't in the mood to go to jail for assault any time soon. Once his jeans were on and a wifebeater, he left the locker room with a hoodie in his hands. He wasn't going to put up with Mad Dog any longer than he had to. She was still waiting for him when he got to her, though she looked much more pulled together now. Her eyes weren't as red and her face wasn't blotchy.

"Nice tats, Tommy," she said with a laugh, reaching out to trace the outline of the one on his shoulder before looking up at him. "Should we get going?" Tommy just nodded and held the door open for her as she walked out. Tommy pulled his hoodie on as he felt the autumn wind give a slight chill.

"Where ya wanna go?" he asked her, matching step with her as he pulled his hood over his head.

"Anywhere the drinks are cheap and it's open late." Tommy smirked as he led the way to one of the bars downtown that he hadn't been to in a while. It was a relatively younger crowd, but it was always open until two-thirty in the morning and the drinks were always relatively cheap. The two took a seat at the bar and Tommy was about to order two beers.

"No, fuck the beers. Bring us three tequila shots each, salt and limes," she ordered. The bartender's eyes widened along with Tommy's.

"Rough day?" he asked, watching the shots be placed in front of them one by one. She put a dab of salt on her hand, licked it, and took one before putting the lime in her mouth. She took a deep breath after she got the taste out of her mouth.

"Had to meet with dad's lawyer today to set up the terms of his will. He's been doing worse and worse each day and the doctors are saying he's probably not going to make it more than a few weeks. I went to see him at the hospital today afterwards and he wasn't even awake for most of it, and when he was awake, he could barely speak. I don't know if I told you, he has cancer." One thing Tommy appreciated about Charlotte was that he didn't have to push the conversation forward or even ask polite questions. She always answered whatever polite questions he may have had just by watching his facial expressions. Tommy simply shook his head and placed a hand comfortingly on her shoulder before taking one of his own shots.

By the end of the night, they were both laughing and joking, playing a game of pool. Tommy won, of course, but she definitely gave him a run for his money. They were both pretty hammered. Charlotte kept trying to drag Tommy onto the dance floor with her, but he wouldn't have it and he watched as she danced with other guys, making sure to keep an eye on whether or not anyone got too handsy with her. But, no one was going to make a pass at her with big hulking Tommy sitting right there watching. Once she was done dancing and the song ended, she stumbled over to Tommy and threw her arms around his neck, planting a sloppy kiss on his face, her lips smiling as she did it.

"Tommy, I'm so drunk. That doesn't count," she giggled, grabbing her beer off the bar and downing what was left of it. Tommy just shook his head, smirking. "You should probably take me home," she slurred and he almost let out a laugh as he helped her to her feet and settled the tab. She made it out of the bar okay, but as soon as she got to the sidewalk, she was stumbling quite a bit and Tommy wound an arm around her waist to help her stay upright. "We…we should go to your place, Tommy. I dun wanna be by myself, tonight."

It made sense to Tommy and he wouldn't have taken advantage of her drunkenness regardless of whether it was a come-on or not. So, he headed in the direction of his apartment. The walk took all of twenty minutes, and she was getting more and more sloppy as she went. By the time they got to the apartment building, he had to carry her up the stairs to his door. Tommy had to fumble to get his keys and hold on to her at the same time, but once he stumbled into the door, he was fine. Her tiny frame was incredibly light and Tommy was so strong that he had absolutely no trouble carrying her.

He had to kick the door to his room open, but when he looked down, he realized she was already passed out. He gave a small smile as he laid her down on his bed and pulled her boots off for her, brushing a strand of her brown hair out of her face. She looked so peaceful. Tommy remembered the days like this in high school, when her father would practically be breaking down the door to his and his mom's house trying to find her. Charlotte's dad always suspected the worse, but Tommy never took advantage of her. The two of them didn't talk much about their pasts to each other, but Tommy knew that there was something dark in hers just as she knew his was shadowy as well.

She stirred slightly as Tommy looked at her and her eyes blinked open for her a split second, bright and emerald as always. A smile lit up her face as she looked at him.

"Hi, Tommy," she said, her smile getting bigger. He just shook his head at her, trying his best not to smile. "I missed you." Tommy let his smile come through and she reached for his hand, he gave it to her. Unfortunately, she yanked his surprised self onto the bed and he had to catch himself to keep from landing on her, but his hands found spots on either side of her head and he hovered above her, their bodies not touching, though it felt like electricity was flowing between them, pulling them towards each other. But, he wouldn't do this when she was drunk. He had more honor than that.

That didn't stop her from grabbing his shirt and yanking his face towards hers to give him another kiss. He pulled away, though, before anything else could happen and stood up.

"Charlie, get some sleep. I'll be just through that door," he assured her, trying to wiggle his hand out of hers. She smiled at him.

"You're a big sweetheart. You've always been a big sweetheart. I see you, Tommy Conlon. You never fooled me," she said, rolling over and placing her head on the pillow, eyes closing. Tommy shook his head before heading back into the living room and turning on the TV. She was right about that, he never did scare her even when he thought she should be scared of him. That last day when he punched a hole through her wall, she didn't even flinch. Tommy had seen Brendan flinch at less than that.

She had always been such an interesting creature to him. She was a livewire, scorching everything in her path and everyone who met her had always been irreparably changed by her. She had a knack for drawing certain qualities out in people that they didn't even know they had. In Tommy, she drew out a sweetness that almost no one ever saw. But she also drew this willingness. Tommy could be as stubborn as a mule when he wanted to be, but he always gave in to her. Even after all this time, ten years of the two of them not exchanging a single word and she could still convince him to go have a drink with her.

Tommy couldn't help but remember back then. She would drink wine from paper cups in his backyard and stay over all night and sleep in his bed with him. She would get angry about the stupidest things that were totally out of her control. She had so much wrath in such a tiny beautiful frame. Sometimes she swore so much people wondered how someone so pretty could have such a nasty mouth. She loved it when he kissed her neck. And she never stopped dancing. Somewhere on her body, something was moving. Whether it was her toes tapping or her hands gently fluttering at her sides. She couldn't help it. It was like music in sweet mahogany tones flowed through her veins. She was like poison that you wanted to imbibe.

The two of them fought constantly. They would scream profanities at each other in public spaces just as easily as private spaces. But they always seemed to make up. And when they made up, he would pick her little body up in his arms and throw her over his shoulder and take her to his bed and they would go at it like animals. He had been her first and she had been his first.

Tommy wondered if he loved her, if he even knew what that kind of love was back then. He'd said it to her plenty of times and she'd said it back. But Tommy didn't know what love was. Maybe he still didn't. Either way, he thought he had loved her back then. He didn't know where he really expected this whole thing to go, but he knew he wasn't going to put the horse in front of the cart. He would pretend he didn't care until pretending wasn't possible anymore. He had to admit, though, when she kissed him it felt like going home. Even though her lips tasted like beer and she smelled like lavender, and even though she was drunk as hell, he knew it felt good and knew it felt right.

It didn't take long for Tommy to fall asleep on the couch with the TV still on. He didn't have any memorable dreams that night. Which was rare. He was used to nightmares of his unit being killed in Iraq. It was a nice change of pace not watching Manny die again. When he woke up, the TV was off and the smell of coffee filled his nose.

"Morning, sleepyhead," came a soft voice from the kitchen. Tommy jumped to his feet, feeling his head pound from the hangover and he groaned, pressing his fingers to his temples.

"Charlie, what the hell are you doing?" he moaned.

"Making breakfast. Here," she said, pushing a cup of coffee in front of him. He took it and sipped it and felt his headache begin to feel a bit better almost instantly as he watched her move about the kitchen with eggs, pans, vegetables, turkey, cheese. Omelets. She did make a killer omelet. "I ran to the store this morning while you were still sleeping. No offense, but you don't have a very well stocked, kitchen. You're not very good at being an adult," she joked. Tommy looked her over to note that she was wearing his clothes. She must have changed into one of his t-shirts and a pair of his sweatpants while he was still asleep. He had to admit, he liked how it looked.

It didn't take long for the breakfast to be done cooking and she split it between two plates and shoved that in front of Tommy, too, opting to eat her own at the counter.

"My clothes smelled like vodka. I must had spilled some on me last night. I threw them in the wash. They're in the dryer now. Hope you don't mind," she said with a shrug. He just waved his hand at her, scarfing down the food in front of him.

"What are you doing today?" he asked her, swallowing his mouth full of food. She shrugged.

"I actually don't have anything to do. What about you?"

"Off work today, probably should go to the gym."

"Or we could do something fun," she suggested with an impish smile that only made Tommy roll his eyes. He knew her definition of fun and he knew what that smile meant. It was never good news. He looked at the clock and saw that it was already almost noon and, as he finished his food, he placed his plate in the sink.

"Like what?" he asked, eyes narrowed.

"Oh, don't give me that look," she shot at him. "I don't know, you pick something."

"You know I'm no good at that shit, Charlie," Tommy muttered, looking down at his coffee.

"Yeah, that's true. You never were too romantic, huh?" she joked. She walked by him to the washer and dryer and threw her clothes from the night before from the washer into the dryer without much care. "I have to get back to the hotel before we do anything though. I don't think I should walk around in yesterday's clothes, clean or not." Tommy just shrugged and mumbled something unintelligible. "Maybe we should just meet up later?"

"Sure, sure," Tommy mumbled.

"As soon as my clothes are done drying. I do want to give these back to you," she said with a smile, mussing his hair as she walked by and plopping down on the couch. Tommy followed her and sat down next to her, turning the TV on as she kicked her legs up and rested them across his lap, leaning her head on the armrest. Tommy turned the channel to UFC fight and Charlie just groaned.

"Do we have to watch fighting?" she asked.

"Do we have to have arguments from ten years ago again?" he shot back. She glared at him and ripped the remote from his hand. He tried to grab it back, but in fumbling for it, she planted her feet against his chest, pushing him back.

"I made breakfast. You could at least let me pick what we watch," she said, her impish smile returning. Tommy could have easily overpowered her, but she had a point and he let it slide as she began flipping through the channels and settled on a football game. Tommy barely watched it. He was too busy watching her fidget and scream at the TV. He had started to drift back to sleep with her legs still across his lap when he heard the buzzer for the dryer go off. She was already fast asleep and he gently moved her legs to get the clothes out of dryer.

He looked at her, sleeping there. He realized then just how much she'd already managed to bring his walls crashing to the ground and he became uncomfortable. So, he shook her awake, told her that her clothes were done drying and that he'd had a bit too much excitement for the past few days since she'd showed up and wanted to take a day off. She stood in his doorway, eyes wide and blinking, mouth hanging open and wanting to say something, but Tommy just closed the door and said he'd talk to her later before collapsing on his couch.

* * *

**A/N: **Wouldn't be Tommy if he didn't abruptly push someone away without warning, right? Not sure how I'm planning on continuing from here quite yet, but I'll start working as soon as I get some ideas flowing. If you have any suggestions, fire away. And please review! Again, let me know if anyone dips into the out of character realm.


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: **Gahh, this chapter ended up being way longer than I'd anticipated, but it should be a good one. There's a lot going on - emotional stuff, flashbacks, adorableness, and a bit of a bonus as well haha. Hope you like it. Sorry for the wait, I've been busy and writer's blocked.

* * *

After Tommy took a shower, he already had three missed calls on his phone, all from Charlie. He felt bad for just shoving her out the door, but that was what Tommy did. Everyone he ever got close to had either left or been a disappointment. He hadn't even truly let Brendan get that close yet. Tommy was sick of being let down. His mom died, his dad was a drunk, his brother bailed, Manny and the rest of his unit died. Charlie was going to end up just another casualty in his life and he might as well spare her the problem of having to be with him again and get her heart broken by him again.

It wasn't his fault she just showed up one day after ten years, out of the blue, and expected them to just pick up wherever they left off. And they didn't leave off at a necessarily good place anyway so why did she even want to come back. She could have dealt with this whole business with her father and never seen him again if she chose, but she sought him out and then she became entangled in his life again.

She made everything look oh so easy and it was frustrating as hell. She didn't care what kind of destructive power she had when she kissed him the night before. She didn't realize what kind of spell she was able to cast and Tommy didn't want to be under that spell again. She had the ability to make him feel special, like he could do something with his life other than be just a this mass of anger and muscle. She pushed him and, even though Tommy had drive, he underestimated himself and she knew it. It was always so frustrating, even back then.

His phone went off again while he was staring at it and he continued to ignore it when he saw her name appear on the screen. He just rolled his eyes. Whatever it was, she could wait until he got his head on straight. He headed to his closet and got dressed in a relative hurry. Not that he had plans, but he was trying to distract himself and he wasn't doing well. It was already nearly six and he didn't feel like making his own dinner, so he decided to just go to the one down the street. Maybe he would even see his old man there.

The autumn wind was getting stronger and the chill was beginning to settle in Pittsburgh. In just a hoodie, Tommy even felt a little chilly as he walked down the streets. The sun was beginning to dip below the horizon and the sky was glowing a reddish pinkish color that gave the entire downtown area a vintage photograph look to it. Tommy's father wasn't in the diner when he arrived. He ate quickly, resolving to head to that local strip joint for a few drinks when he finished. He was still angry at Charlie and each time his phone buzzed in his pocket it only made him angrier. She had begun leaving voicemails now, but he chose not to listen to them yet.

He knew that it was wrong to be mad at her. His conflicted mind wasn't her fault. It wasn't her fault that everyone he loved had died or bailed. It wasn't her fault that she wandered into his life at a time when he was trying to open himself back up to the world. But that didn't help. Tommy was angry, but his anger was misdirected.

When Tommy got to the strip club, all he ordered was a beer. It didn't take him three sips until the usual thing happened that happened every single time he went there, the girls that were working tried to get his attention. Especially the bartender. Some of them knew who he was and passed the message around that he was a famous MMA fighter and then even more of the girls started pressing in on him.

One of the girls grabbed his face and kissed him. And she tasted like cigarettes and stale vodka from the night before. It made Tommy almost gag. It wasn't that he had never smoked. He smoked a lot in the Marines. And it wasn't that he disliked vodka or even forgot to brush his teeth the day after a binge. He'd done that too. But her lips were thin and her skin was rough and she felt strange and alien to him. He pushed her away and then paid his tab and stormed out. In the parking lot, he listened to the voicemails. There were three of them.

_Fuck you, Tommy. Just throw me out and then don't answer the phone. Typical Tommy Conlon doing what Tommy Conlon does. Pushing people away, especially people who mean him no harm. Learn to fucking let people in or you'll be alone forever!_

_Tommy, I'm sorry I said that. Please call me. I didn't mean it. You have every right to hate people and to want to push people away._

_Tommy, you know how to find me. I won't bother you until you want to talk. Enjoy your night._

Just like that. From furious to sweet to rational. Rational was always the last stop for her. It was always emotion at its highest level for a while and then eventually coolness. Usually there was a stage somewhere in the middle like there was this time, but sometimes there wasn't and it could be literally impossible to keep up with those ever-changing mood swings of hers.

It took Tommy a second to realize that he was smiling as he thought about her. It took him an even longer second to realize that he was always angry except when he was in her presence. Even her voice was enough to make him smile. It was such a sweet sentiment that Tommy almost felt sick from it, but he couldn't deny that it was truth. And he knew that the more he pushed her away, the angrier he would get. But now he knew better than to be angry with her. He would have to be angry with himself.

Charlie was furious, to say the least and as she stormed back to her hotel that afternoon, she was practically fuming. She didn't know why she should be upset. Tommy was just being himself when he shoved her out like that. She had always been able to see right through him. They did this dance back in high school. Every time she would come and inch closer, he would find some excuse to push her three inches away until she had to get back to where she was again with twice the effort.

It took her a while to calm down, a while being numerous calls and three voicemails before she just gave up and went to that downtown bar where she'd seen him the first night she was back in town. It was hardly an acceptable time to begin drinking, somewhere in between happy hour and the late night crowd. She was in there with the men who didn't have families to go home to for dinner and recent college graduates who remained unemployed. There was less than a handful of people there. Most of the music was as depressing as the crowd that was there.

She ordered herself a beer and stared absentmindedly at the TV behind the bar, generally ignoring the male bartender who tried and failed to hit on her. Once she had finished her first beer and then a second one, she figured she might as well fit in with this sad crowd and ordered herself a dirty martini with three olives. The bartender continued to try and flatter her. He called her lovely, beautiful, her-smile-like-whoa. She could tell he was lonely and desperate so she smiled at him out of pity.

The martinis kept coming. After three she was on the dance floor, like she usually was when she started to get drunk. It didn't take long for the room full of lonely men to notice her hypnotic movements and impish little body. One of them approached her and tried to dance with her, but she simply bounced away from him. That wasn't enough of a hint for him, and her grabbed her around the waist and forcefully pulled her body against his.

She planted her hands against his chest and tried to shove him away, but he was stronger than she was.

"Get off," she groaned, continuing to try and push him.

"What do you say you come back to my place?" he offered. His voice was gruff, hoarse and scratchy. Charlie didn't look up to see his face, but she could feel his overgrown stubble and he smelled like cheap beer and sweat.

"No, ugh…leave me alone!" she grunted, continuing to try and wiggle from his grip. Suddenly, a force like a speeding truck knocked him off of her. Tommy was standing between the two of them, his hands balled into fists, the man was on the floor and looking pretty unconscious. Everyone was staring. And, just as suddenly as Tommy had appeared, he turned around, grabbed Charlie's face in his hands and kissed her with more fervor than she'd been kissed by anyone else since him. When he released her, she just stared at him, confused and drunk. Only the sound of music could be heard throughout the bar as Tommy grabbed her hand and pulled her out of the bar. On his way out he left a $100 bill on the bar and said that if the bartender said he never saw a thing, to keep the change.

"Tommy. I'm perfectly capable of taking care of myself!" she slurred at him as she tried to keep up with his long steps once they were back in the cold air of Pittsburgh downtown.

"Yeah, you were doing a really great job of it," he muttered, continuing to drag her along down the sidewalk. She ripped her hand from his and stared at him in the way a child throwing a tantrum might glare at her parents.

"You don't get to throw me out of your house because you've had 'too much excitement' since I showed up and then come punch someone in the face and save me. You don't get to be a hero!" she shouted at him.

"I was just trying to help, Charlie," he spat back at her. She didn't say anything, she just continued to glare at him as she stood there, hands on her hips and feet apart like she was ready to charge into battle at a moment's notice. There was no warning when he grabbed her around the waist and pressed his lips firmly against hers again. His lips were angry and hungry at the same time, and at first she resisted, but then her resolve melted as she felt a weightlessness. One of his hands tangled into her hair and she bit down on his lip as she placed a hand on his cheek. When her teeth unclenched on his bottom lip, they were both smiling and she gave him a small peck. She hadn't realized her feet were completely off the ground, that he was holding her up with one arm around her waist.

"Tommy Conlon, what was that?" she asked as he set her back down and the two began walking. He didn't say anything other than a simple grunt that was customary for him.

It didn't take long for them to get back to Tommy's apartment, and once they were inside, they pushed everything to the side. As soon as Tommy shut the door behind him, he lifted Charlie up and wedged her body up against the wall, her legs wrapped around his waist as his hungry lips found hers again. They fumbled in the darkness for each other as he ran his fingers through her soft hair. She smelled like lavender and vanilla, her breath hot as she broke from his lips and pressed hers to his neck, gently biting as he let out a sharp exhale.

He grabbed her face and went back to kissing her. Her lips were plump, delicious. They tasted like peppermints and the olives from her martinis. All the pent up tension, both sexual and nonsexual was being released. It was like a power struggle as they explored each other's bodies like it was the first time again. She yanked his sweatshirt off over his head as he unbuttoned her blouse to reveal an expensive-looking pale pink lace bra underneath. She broke with his kiss to feel the contours of his chest, to trace her fingers over his tattoos as he looked down at her, biting his bottom lip. When she looked back up at him, her eyes were apologetic.

"I don't want to do this when I've been drinking, Tommy," she said, her voice barely a whisper, breathy, like she didn't even believe what she was saying. He let out a scoff of a laugh and kissed the top of her head before picking her up and carrying her to his room and dropping her on his bed. One of those few and rare Tommy smiles appeared on his lips as he leaned down to kiss her confused face again.

He turned around and stripped down to his boxers before climbing into bed next to her. She just smiled, realizing he understood and they would just go to sleep. She wiggled out of her jeans to reveal a matching pale pink lace pair of underwear and curled up next to him in her bra and underwear. He placed his arm underneath her head and she felt comfortable in the familiar firmness of the curvature of Tommy's bicep. He smelled like a hint of cologne that was put on too many hours ago and had faded to a fair and nostalgic level. It was the same cologne he used to wear in high school.

"Goodnight, Charlie," he whispered in her ear. She smiled and curled up tighter, pressing closer to his body as she closed her eyes. That was the first night they spent together where Charlie dreamed of that last day again, that day ten years ago.

"_Why can't you just think about it? Think about not going into the Marines. Why? You're so fucking stubborn, Tommy!" Charlie yelled at him. The two were standing in her room, ten years younger than they were now. He was seventeen and she was sixteen. "Tommy, I fucking love you. Don't you get that?"_

_Tommy didn't respond to her, he just sort of grunted, chewing on a toothpick as he sat on the edge of her bed, watching her pace back and forth. His mom was really sick. She was getting worse every day. Tommy felt guilty for the nights he spent sneaking through Charlie's window while her father slept down the hall. He needed to get away from the house where his mom was coughing up blood into the early hours of the morning._

_They'd had this fight at least a hundred times already and Tommy was more than just bored with it. Why couldn't she just accept that he needed to get away. From it all. From this town, from his dad, from his brother. It had nothing to do with her. If he stayed here and waited a year for her to graduate, he worried he would never be able to leave. And what if things didn't work out? What if he was stuck here for the rest of his life and she wasn't even a part of it at that point._

"_I love you too," he said in an almost unintelligible mumble. She sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose, which she always did when she was frustrated. _

"_Will you just look at me?" she pleaded, staring down at him staring at his hands. He looked up. "Why won't you even talk to me about it? Why do you always shut down whenever I bring it up?" He just shrugged and went back to looking at his hands. He was starting to get frustrated now too. She couldn't let it go. She couldn't accept it. She couldn't drop it and she wouldn't. Even if she was there as he was shipping out she'd still be asking him to reconsider._

"_What d'you want me to do, Charlie? Not try and put as much distance between me and my pops as possible? I can't stay in this fuckin' place anymore," he mumbled. She could tell from his tone that he was getting irritated. She'd seen him angry before, but she usually backed down before he got too angry. She continued to press him this time, though. She wasn't sure why, but she did. It didn't help the situation at all, though. Eventually his mumbled responses turned into roars as he got more and more frustrated with her. Finally, he was standing, staring down at her with pure anger._

"_Goddamn it, Tommy! Just tell me you'll think about it and stop being such a stubborn asshole with a mommy complex!" she screamed at him. That was the last straw. He felt his fists clench and his arms begin to tremble with pure rage. He turned away from her punched a hole right in the wall of her bedroom before grabbing his coat and walking out without even looking back at her. She chased after him, apologies spewing from her mouth as she reached the front porch only to see him storming across her lawn._

"_Yeah, well fuck you too!" she shouted after him. He still wouldn't look at her as he disappeared around the street corner. She went back inside, slamming the door behind her and collapsed on her bed, staring at the hole in the wall as she felt her eyes begin to water. _

When the two of them woke up in the morning, Tommy's arms were wrapped around her, his body pressed against hers. She pulled his hand towards her and gently kissed his knuckles. She felt him stir against her and pulled his hand from hers to brush one of her brown curls from her face.

"Morning," she breathed, rolling over to smile at him. He gave a rare Tommy smile in return. The two of them laid there for a few minutes before Charlie's phone began buzzing incessantly on the night stand and Tommy rolled over and handed it to her. It was the hospital where her father was.

"Hello?" she breathed into the phone. In only a few short second, her expression of nervous anticipation became one of obvious distress and Tommy sat up to look at her as she listened intently to the female voice on the phone. "I can be there in an hour or so, don't do anything until then, please." She hung up and looked at Tommy as tears began to form in her eyes. Even though it was obvious what the phone call was about, Tommy still gave her a questioning look.

"It's going to happen today. He's only getting worse and the nurses and doctors don't think he will make it to morning and he's been asked to be taken off life support. I have to get over there as soon as I can. I need to be there for him," she said, scrambling up off the bed and doing as best as she could to hide her crying face from Tommy's gaze.

"Let me go with you," he said, getting out of the bed as well.

"I doubt it would be a good idea if my father's last sight was you. He always hated you, Tommy, you know that." Tommy just shrugged and watched as she threw all her clothes on and went out into the living room. He followed her, putting his hands on her shoulders.

"It'll be okay, Char," he said in a more comforting tone than she'd ever heard from him before. He kissed the top of her head and she went out the door.

_"Charlotte, I don't want you seeing that boy anymore. He's bad news," her father said as he paced through their living room. A sixteen year old Charlie simply rolled her eyes._

_ "Daddy, he's harmless. You just think that because his father is a piece of crap that he's going to be like that," she protested._

_ "Yeah well, the apple doesn't fall far from the tree. And the other parents talk, you know. He gets into fights at school and is in detention almost every day. You have a bright future ahead of you. Don't let some boy who probably won't be in that future take it away from you."_

_ "Stop being so melodramatic, Dad."_

_ "Damnit, Charlotte, I'm trying to be a good father. Make it easier on me, please," he sighed, running a hand through his graying hair. Charlie's father was tall, and would likely have been considered handsome when he was younger. Now, the trouble of his divorce and the stress of raising a daughter on his own had caused his hair to begin to gray and wrinkles to begin forming around his eyes. He fell into a chair and lit a cigarette, tapping the stray bit of ash onto the ashtray that sat on the end table. Charlie shook her head at him._

_ "Maybe you should just give him a chance, Dad. He hasn't had it easy, either. And some people deal with dysfunctional families in different ways."_

_ "Dysfunctional?" he asked her, raising his eyebrows as though daring her to call their situation dysfunctional._

_ "Dad, Mom cheated on you with one of my teachers and you act like that's totally normal? Jesus Christ, we're the definition of dysfunction. Now she's gone off to Arizona with him and is raising three replacement children and I don't even get a card from her on Christmas." It was obvious that Mr. McLane was done with the conversation as he turned on the television. Charlie rolled her eyes again and pinched the bridge of her nose before grabbing her jacket and purse and sneaking out the back door._

_ When she arrived at Tommy's mother's house, it was already past nine o'clock. She tapped on the front door. Tommy opened it for her and she squeezed past his large muscular frame. He placed a finger over his lips to indicate that his mom was already sleeping and the two walked quietly to Tommy's bedroom. _

_ "What's wrong?" he asked as she sat down on his bed and let out a massive sigh. She shook her head._

_ "The usual, my father thinks you're destined for prison and I'm destined for greatness and you're going to ruin my life one day," she said in a hushed voice as she picked a hangnail. He gave a small laugh. "It's not funny, Tommy," she protested, wearing the expression of a five year old in the middle of a tantrum. He sat down next to her and tucked a strand of her brown hair behind her ear. _

_ "Why does shit like that bother you so much, Char?"_

_ "I don't know…I just don't like that my dad won't even meet you or give you a chance. He doesn't know that you're a good guy deep down."_

_ "Am I?" he asked with a smirk. She turned to look at him, a playful glare on her face. He tackled her, then, pushing her down on the bed and smiling down at her as he held her arms pinned above her head. She stuck her tongue out at him before he gave her a forceful kiss, parting her lips with his tongue. When he pulled away, she kept her eyes closed and her heart was beating a mile a minute._

_ "I love you," she said, wiggling one of her hands away from his grip to reach up and touch his face. He just stared at her as she opened her eyes. It was the first time she'd said it. It was the first time someone had ever said it to him other than his family members. She bit her bottom lip, expecting a fight to start any second, expecting him to ask her to leave. Every single time she got a step closer, he pushed her away. But this time, he didn't. He kissed her again, in her favorite spot on her neck, just below her ear before whispering that he loved her too. _

_ Neither of them expected that they would be broken up within the next month. It didn't matter, though. At that moment, they were blissfully happy and as Tommy continued to kiss her, her warm breath in his ear. _

Tommy waited to follow Charlie to the hospital. She wanted to respect her wishes. He got there about two hours after she left and found the room without much trouble, but stayed outside and took a spot in a chair in the hallway as he listened to her talk to her father.

"Charlotte, I'm so proud of the woman you've become," came her father's raspy voice. "I'm so glad I got to see how beautiful you are, how much you look like your mother." Tommy could hear Charlie begin to cry as she attempted to form coherent words.

"I'm gonna miss you, Dad," she managed to choke out. Tommy could hear the EKG slowing every few minutes. It was going to be soon. Within the next hour or so. For most of the time he sat there, it was silent except for Charlie's uncontrollable sobs. He wished he could go in there and do something, but he didn't want to destroy the last minutes her father would have with her.

"I love you, Charlotte," her father rasped. It sounded like it was very difficult for him to say, like he was straining against something. She choked out an _I love you, too_. Within thirty seconds, Tommy could hear the EKG flat line as her father's heart stopped. Tommy stood up and looked into the room, a few nurses were standing around trying to comfort Charlie, but doing a poor job. She looked up when she heard Tommy's footsteps and immediately ran to him. She hit him like a punch in the chest, collapsing into him with emotional exhaustion.

"She's already filled out all of the necessary paperwork. If she wants or needs to go home, she can," said one of the nurses with a sympathetic expression. Tommy just nodded and put his arm around her, guiding her out into the hallway. It was a long walk back out to the lobby and an even longer walk through the parking lot to where his car waited. She never let go of him the whole time, clasping onto anything she could get a hold of, his hoodie, his hands, his arm. When he got to the car, he opened the passenger door for her and she got in without a word. She had stopped sobbing, but fresh tears were still rolling down her reddened cheeks. Tommy went around and got into the driver's seat.

"Do you wanna go to my place? Your hotel?" he asked, noting that she was refusing to look at him. She shook her head and managed to choke out that she wanted to go to her dad's house. Tommy sighed, but he didn't protest, regardless of how bad of an idea he thought it was.

They didn't speak the entire time driving over there. It was about five miles outside of the downtown area and the house looked exactly the same as it did ten years ago. It was a small house, mostly red brick with a decent sized porch. Charlie got out without any help and headed up the path to the front door, pulling a key out of her pocket. Tommy just followed behind her, and when he got close enough to her, she grabbed his hand like she was drowning in the sea and his hand was a life preserver.

She stopped in the living room, staring at the ashtray that was sitting in the exact same spot it had been in for the past thirteen years. She stared at the burn marks on the carpet, the one burn hole in the arm of the chair where he always sat. She took a deep breath and squeezed Tommy's hand.

"Maybe you should wait a few days before you do this, Char," he mumbled. She turned to look at him for the first time since she saw him in the hospital. She was biting her trembling bottom lip, the trails under her eyes left behind by the tears glistened in the fading afternoon light that was filtering through the windows. Dust particles floated between them, but neither noticed.

Tommy had never seen her so fragile as she was right now. He always found her fragility to be a more physical fragility, she was always so tough and grouchy and stubborn. He could only count on one hand the number of times he'd seen her cry. He wasn't used to this Charlie. This open and raw and emotionally ruined Charlie. She wasn't flinging cusswords or being coy or bouncing around. She wasn't even moving. It was the first time he'd seen her completely still without any sort of dancing going on in her little frame. And, despite how red and splotchy her face was, she still looked just as beautiful as she did when they woke up that morning and everything was okay.

Once again, she just collapsed into him and his arms wrapped around her as she pressed her face into his chest. He ran a hand through her hair and kissed the top of her head. She wasn't crying anymore, but Tommy expected her smiles would be rarer for a while.

"Please don't leave," she finally managed to say. He squeezed her a bit to let her know that he wasn't going anywhere. Without any sort of warning, she rose up on her tiptoes and kissed him. Her lips were wet from crying, but Tommy didn't care. There was a need in her kiss, a desire for someone to just be with her, in every possible way. It was insatiable and fiery. Tommy placed one hand on her butt to hold her as she jumped off the ground and wrapped her legs around his waist. She was so small and easy to hold up. She was just as clumsy and just as fervent as the night before when she was drunk. Her hands moved to each side of his face, one running through his hair, the other feeling the stubble along his cheek.

It didn't take long for her contagious hunger to spread to Tommy and he kissed her back with just as much force as she was throwing at him. She broke from his lips to catch her breath, panting heavily as he began to kiss her neck, gently biting the skin along her collarbone and feeling her nails dig into his back. She grabbed his face again, pulling it back to hers and their lips connected again, their kisses wild and needy.

Tommy knew the layout of this house like the back of his hand. The two of them had done this before and he didn't even need to open his eyes or put her down as he carried her into her bedroom, which was another thing that hadn't changed in ten years. She was lucky she had such good taste or it might be embarrassing. He laid her down on the bed and, as she released him, she pulled his hoodie and shirt off and tossed them to the floor.

Her face was reflective of just how much she'd been both needing this and waiting for this since she first kissed him. His heart was pounding and he leaned down to yank her shirt off of her as well. He laid down, letting his hands and lips explore her sun kissed skin. He traced his fingers over her stomach, along her chest just above her bra, and up her neck. She was breathing so heavily. He was driving her crazy with this anticipation and she rolled on top of him, straddling him as she pressed her lips against his, biting his bottom lip to try and explain her hunger.

His hands fumbled with the latch on her bra before eventually he was able to remove that and toss it to the floor. She traced her hands over the muscles in his chest before letting her fingers move back to winding up in his short hair. She felt his hand tracing the dip in her back, his fingers trailing up her spine and she gave a slight shudder. His other hand was on her neck, holding her lips to his. Her lips that tasted like peppermints. He felt a bead of sweat roll down her temple, interrupting her lavender and vanilla scent with a salty, natural and desirous smell. His hand that had been trailing over her shoulder blades now found her breasts. Her breath hitched as his fingertip gently traced the outline of her nipple and she broke her lips away from his as he moved his attention back to her neck while she panted. His other hand traced the bumps of her ribs under her skin.

Her body had changed in the past ten years. She was firm and muscular, toned and lean. He needed to discover this territory all over again, an earthquake had moved things around. His free hand ran back down her back, hovering for a second over her bottom. Without warning, he flipped her over, letting his lips form a trail of kisses down her neck, across her collarbone, down her breasts allowing his tongue some free time with her nipple which only caused her breathing to become even more erratic. He grabbed his face and yanked it back up to hers and went back to kissing him, her nails digging into his back. What had begun as heady and needy was now gentler, but still fiery. They wanted to take their time, explore every inch of each other.

Tommy wedged his hand in between them and unbuttoned her jeans and she felt herself reflexively begin grinding up against him. This time, he broke from her lips to catch his breath and her lips trailed down his neck to his chest, to his abs. She rocked to the side to indicate that she wanted to flip, but he didn't move. She was right where he wanted her and he wasn't ready to let her roll over again. She reached down and unbuttoned his jeans before grabbing him. He let out an almost pained sounding gasp and she smirked as he bit into her shoulder. She still knew exactly what to do to him to make him crazy.

He found her lips again, one handing holding himself up and the other pulling at the waistband of her jeans until, with her helpful wiggling, they were off. He sat up, then, staring at her as she laid there in just her underwear.

She stared back up at him, his full lips, the stubble forming around his mouth, his disheveled hair, his huge arms, his broad shoulders, his contoured chest and stomach. And he looked at her, her plump pink lips, her collarbone where the mark from his bite was beginning to fade, her full breasts, her flat stomach and the tiny mole on it between her left hip and belly button.

"I've never seen anything so beaut-" he managed to mutter before she interrupted him with a sharp _shut up_ and pounced again, dragging him back on top of her as she reached for him again, using her toes to pull at the waistband of his jeans which wasn't working at all. Tommy smiled, trying to hold back a laugh as he pulled his own pants off, ignoring her indignant stare and pressing his lips back to hers. One of his hands grabbed her thigh, hitching it up around his waist while the other maintained its comfortable position on her breast, his fingertips gently tracing her nipple and causing her back to arch occasionally.

Charlie was beginning to feel like she was about to burst if she wasn't satisfied soon. She continued to kiss him, but this time growing more and more impatient with each kiss, more fiery and more needy. Tommy recognized it, instantly and assumed she was done messing around and was ready to get down to business. He could feel the need in the way her hand moved on him, the way she kept arching her hips up in rhythm, the way her tongue danced with his. He needed it too. Screw being a gentleman. He pushed himself off of her and yanked her underwear off of her as she pulled his boxers off before he crashed on top of her again. She arched her back, her body reaching for his as he found her. She let a breathy moan escape her lips as she felt the pain and pleasure combine.

Warmth began to spread through her body as she felt small muscle spasms, her back and hips arching without her control, her nails digging into his back. He breathed heavily into her neck as she tried to find his lips again. When she managed to get her mouth back onto his, she felt a familiarity, a safety, and sense of perfect calm wash over her body and she let her body take over for her.

Tommy was having trouble concentrating. He was trying not to be distracted or set off by every little thing she was doing. It aroused him so much and he could feel her tiny muscle spasms, her back arching under him. She bit his lip and he came close to losing it. He needed her, every inch of her, every facet and quirk. He felt the sweat beading between her breasts, rolling down his own temple as the room got hotter and hotter and hotter.

Then, suddenly, he felt a much stronger spasm from her as her breath quickened, she arched her back at an impossible angle for a non-dancer, her body pushing against his as her nails dug harder into his back and she began panting uncontrollably. Charlie felt like electricity was surging through the both of them and when she finally returned to breathing normally, he crashed into her as well, collapsing on top of her and breathing heavily into her neck before rolling off of her.

* * *

**A/N: **Yeah, that just happened, and also, that's the first thing like that I've ever written so let me know how I did, because I dunno how to write stuff like that and I could always use some constructive criticism up in here. As always, please review and I hope everyone had wonderful holidays. Expect the next chapter in one to two weeks.


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: **I think I wrote that faster than I'd expected to. A lot happens in this chapter, but that's fine...don't worry about it. I'm just trying to move things along as much as I can. Hopefully I'm not moving too quickly and hopefully the characters stay in character. As always, let me know if they seem to stray at all.

Also, gonna start including lyrics in each chapter. This is the song that inspired the character of Charlie. The National did a majority of the soundtrack for Warrior, so it seemed fitting to me.

* * *

**Chapter 4**

_You're all humming live wires under your killing clothes.  
Get over here, I wanna kiss your skinny throat  
__You're a wasp nest_**_  
_**

_-The National: Wasp Nest_

Eventually, they both rolled over and looked at each other, both smiling.

"We always were good at that," she said softly, finally breaking the silence as she sat up in the bed. Tommy ran his fingers across the soft skin of her back as she stared absently into the distance. When he looked, he noticed the hole was still in the wall where he'd left it ten years ago. He couldn't believe her father hadn't gotten it fixed. He almost laughed looking at it now. "Want dinner?" she asked, looking over her shoulder at him. He shrugged and sat up as she pulled on a pair of underwear and her shirt and left the room in just that. Tommy pulled on his sweat pants, deciding that clearly this wasn't a very strict dinner when it came to dress code. He didn't even bother with a shirt as he followed her into the kitchen.

Charlie had fished out one of her father's hidden packs of cigarettes and was already smoking one when Tommy got out there. He just stared at her, a somewhat blank expression on his face.

"Don't even bother, Tommy. Yes, I know. I'm a dancer and I smoke every once in a while. You never got on me about it when we were kids," she said, glaring at him over her shoulder.

"I didn't say shit," he said, walking over to her and placing his hands on her hips as she stood at the sink defrosting two chicken breasts. He kissed her on the top of her head.

"These are gonna be a really shitty next few days," she sighed, watching as the sink filled with hot water. Tommy didn't say anything, but he knew how she was feeling. He'd gone through it with his mom. Hopefully, she wouldn't feel as alone as he did.

* * *

_The first time Tommy brought Charlie over for dinner all those years ago was one of those few memories they had together where everything went well and they didn't fight. It was one of those few blissfully happy moments where they felt like a normal couple who could actually pretend they came from somewhat normal families. _

_Tommy's mom was sick, but she wasn't doing terribly. She had her good days and her bad days back then, before it turned into only bad days. That wasn't to say it was the first time Charlie had been to Tommy's house. She'd already been sleeping there sporadically a few nights per week. This was just the first time she would be meeting his mom._

"_Do I call her Mrs. Riordan or Mrs. Conlon or is it a miss or a missus? Tommy, I am SO not ready for this," Charlie said as she and Tommy stood on the front porch._

"_You're okay. Miss or missus, she don't care and she still uses my pop's name. Don't worry. Stop freakin' out," he whispered to her. Tommy held the door open and Charlie went inside. His mom was really quite lovely. She had chestnut colored hair with a little bit of gray beginning to grow in at the roots. Tommy's blue eyes were definitely from her. She was tall and bony thin, but she was beautiful and she wore a pair of pearl earrings._

"_So, this must be Charlotte," she said in a voice like honey. It was obvious why Tommy loved her so much. She seemed so sweet and tender. _

"_Hey, Ma," Tommy said, kissing his mother on the cheek. "This is Charlie, my girlfriend." Charlie reached out to shake hands, but Ms. Conlon pulled the girl into a hug. _

"_So nice to see Tommy's made at least one friend," she said with a laugh. Charlie smiled. _

"_It's so nice to meet you. I've heard so many wonderful things about you," Charlie said with a smile. The dinner went better than expected. Tommy's mom didn't even have any coughing fits and everyone smiled and laughed. At least three times during the dinner, Charlie mentioned how beautiful Ms. Conlon's earrings were. After Tommy walked Charlie home, his mom was sitting in the kitchen when he got back._

"_Ma, you should go to bed. You've gotta be really tired," Tommy said, dropping down in a chair across from her._

"_She's wonderful, Tommy, really."_

"_Ma, stop it. She's just a girlfriend."_

"_You really like her though, Tommy."_

"_Ma, stop it." Tommy was almost laughing at this point. These conversations had become so rare with her lately as she had gotten sicker and sicker. She just smiled at him, beaming. She had taken her earrings out and they were sitting next to her hands folded on the table. _

"_You should give her these," she said with a sly smile. _

"_Ma…I'm not giving her your earrings."_

"_She really liked them. And she really likes you. I think they would make a good gift. Just tell her that they're from me if you want."_

* * *

And Charlie would have been correct in her assumption because the next few days were, without doubt, shitty. Tommy was forced to call in sick to work because Charlie needed his help getting her father's affairs in order, having all of his things sent into storage and canceling the phone service and everything else. She had to call the television providers, cellular providers, gas, electric, everything. She had to call the lawyer and the hospital and the funeral home.

They spent the time bouncing back and forth between Tommy's apartment and Charlie's father's house. She'd checked out of the hotel. She was always running around doing something, almost always with a cigarette in her hand.

"Didn't your dad die of lung cancer," Tommy asked her as she stood at the kitchen counter in his apartment one night with a cig between her plump pink lips.

"Fuck off, Tommy," she said, without even looking at him. He just rolled his eyes and dropped down on the couch. "You know…I have to go back to New York after the funeral and stuff."

Tommy had been wondering when this conversation was going to be brought up. He was dreading it for a variety of reasons. Mainly, he didn't want her to go. He was finally beginning to let some of his guard down and finally beginning to let someone in again. But, he also knew that she had to go. Her whole life was there and Pittsburgh was now just an mix of bad memories and pain for her.

"I mean, the company has been hounding me since I left and there's a production opening in three weeks that I'm in and I've missed every rehearsal since I've been here…obviously," she said, shaking her head. "You know I don't want to leave. And at the same time I do want to leave. And I have to leave."

"Yeah, I know," was all he managed to say back to her from his perch on the couch. She walked over to sit next to him, wearing nothing but one of his t-shirts and a pair of underwear.

"You could visit me…in New York, you know," she offered, trying to muster a smile.

"Guess I could." She rolled her eyes at him and let her head fall in his lap, staring up at him. "Stop being cute. This is a serious conversation."

"Seriously one-sided conversation," she groaned, sitting up. "I don't know what you want from me, Tommy."

"I don't want anything from you. You're the one who always wants shit. First coffee, then drinks, then more drinks, then hanging' out all the time, then me not goin' to work, stayin' at my place. I haven't asked you for shit."

"That's not fair," she spat back.

"Life ain't fair, sweetheart," he said, no emotion in his voice as he stood up and walked to his room and dropped down on his bed.

"Real fucking mature, Tommy!" she yelled after him. And then the floodgates opened. She was without a distraction for the first time since they'd gotten back to her father's house the day he died. She couldn't help it and she just lost it. Curled up on the couch, she began to cry, staring blankly at the TV without any idea what was even on.

In his room, Tommy could hear her choking sobs and, at first, assumed she just wanted him to walk back in there and apologize, that she wanted his attention. She had been known to do that before. But after ten minutes, she was still crying and the sound was both giving Tommy a headache and making him feel guilty.

After fifteen minutes, he finally rolled out of bed and went to check on her. She buried her face in a throw pillow and it took a good amount of Tommy's strength to pull it from her grip. She looked up at him, reduced to a child crying for a parent. Only this time, the parent was gone and never coming back. He sat down next to her and pulled her onto his lap in an effortless motion.

"Don't worry about going back to New York. We can figure somethin' out. Everything's gonna be fine," he said, kissing her forehead. She kept crying for another ten minutes before she finally just tired herself out and the two of them sat there in silence until they both fell asleep.

Tommy woke up a few hours later and Charlie was on the phone again.

"I know we have the showcase in three weeks. I know. And I've been rehearsing as much as I can. But, you have to understand the whole family emergency thing. I'll be back in just a few more days, I swear….I know I said I'd be back before then…No…you can't fucking replace me…I'll be there. I swear." When she saw he was listening, she immediately said her goodbyes and hung up.

"That sounded important," he said, standing up. She was pinching the bridge of her nose, obviously frustrated. She just shook her head.

"Just work stuff," she sighed.

"They replacin' you?"

"If they do, it'll be their loss."

"What's the show, exactly?"

"It's a showcase," she sighed. "Basically, the best dancers in the company get to perform a solo. Each dance is about ten minutes and there's ten spots and four understudies in case someone can't do it. It can be from any ballet the dancer chooses and it can even be a partner dance. But, this is the first solo I've ever gotten and it's a huge deal since it is a showcase and if I get replaced or I get bad reviews, I'll end up without a career." Tommy kissed her.

"Everything's gonna be fine," he mumbled.

"You should come see it…when it opens. I can get you free tickets," she said, perking up immediately at the idea.

"And wear a suit? You know that's not me" he joked. She sighed. He was right. Every performance she ever did while they were together, he conveniently always had some other previous engagement. But, he always showed up at the end to pick her up and, on a few occasions, had flowers. "So, what are you performing, then?"

"Well, that's the thing. I'm doing an entire scene as sort of a teaser for the Spring program where we're doing Swan Lake. And if I'm well received by critics then it's more likely I'll get the lead in that as well. The scene is going to be at the end of the showcase and it's from Act Three where Odile, the daughter of the evil sorcerer who turned Odette into a swan comes to steal the prince away from Odette disguised as Odette herself except in all black. It's the black swan piece."

"How long is it?"

"About ten minutes, actually. It's the most important part of the showcase and the biggest break I've had in my career so far. It could open a lot of doors for me or slam them in my face if I fuck it up. If they replace me then I'll probably never have another shot like this."

"They won't replace you," he said. She scoffed.

"They will if I'm not back within four days. They said so. It's a big scene, too. For part of it, I'm soloing and for other parts I'm dancing with the lead male in the company who is slated to play the prince. I have to get back there. I have to leave after the funeral tomorrow."

* * *

_The first time Charlie had a performance after they had started dating, Tommy didn't go. They'd only been together a few weeks and he knew her dad would be there and her friends and he wasn't ready for any of that yet. She was the lead in Sleeping Beauty. But, Tommy did sneak in during the performance. He stayed in the back, hood of his hoodie over his head and hands stuffed in his pockets as he watched her dance._

_She looked like an angel. She spun wildly and madly and every time she finished a solo the audience would clap for at least two minutes before the performance could resume again and she could stop bowing. She was made for it, that was obvious. After the final scene, Tommy snuck back out while she was still taking her bows and waited for her out front. When she emerged from the theatre, she was smiling from ear to ear._

"_How'd it go?" he asked._

"_It was alright," she said with a shrug. "What are you doing here? I didn't expect you. Did you see any of it?"_

"_Nah. I just got here. I was making dinner for my mom," he lied. She sighed._

"_I wish you could have seen it."_

_Over the course of their relationship, Tommy did the same thing at every performance. He snuck in after it started and stood in the back to watch and would sneak back out at the end and pretend he hadn't even seen it. It made him feel a bit guilty since she showed up to every wrestling meet before he quit about a month into their relationship. But, it was easier than dealing with her family._

_At the last performance he went to, her dad pulled him aside during an intermission. _

"_You're Tommy, aren't you? You're my daughter's boyfriend." Tommy didn't know anyone had seen him, but he only nodded. "You've been to every single one of these. I've seen you. You sneak in and stay in the back and leave during the final applause. Why don't you come and actually let her see you here?" Tommy just shrugged. He knew Charlie's old man hated him. He wasn't going to tell him that it was to avoid running into him that he didn't show up. _

"_Don't tell her," he said. "It would just make her upset."_

"_I won't," her father said with a nod._

_That night, when Charlie got home, her father seemed happier than normal, especially since she was coming home from Tommy's house._

"_You should invite your boyfriend over for dinner," he said with a smile, kissing her on the cheek._

"_Dad, you hate Tommy. You're always saying that he's a deadbeat and he doesn't appreciate me. Why would you want to meet him?" she asked with a laugh._

"_Obviously you kids are serious. If you're going to be together in a long term sense, I should be able to meet the kid," he joked. She just smiled. It would be two weeks before Tommy finally came over for dinner, but he wouldn't end up staying for it. About ten minutes before they were going to eat, he punched a hole through her wall and stormed out._

* * *

The next morning, the two woke up early and put on all black for the funeral. Tommy wore a black button down and a pair of black dress pants, but refused to wear the black jacket even though Charlie begged him. She wore a knee-length black skirt and a black sweater. The funeral was small and, as expected, Charlie's mother didn't even show. The only people there were a few of her father's coworkers and friends. Tommy didn't know anyone there other than Charlie except for the nurse who had been there when he'd died.

After the funeral, Charlie had to listen to the few people in attendance tell her how wonderful her father was, how much he loved her, and how proud of her he was. The nurse appeared last.

"I know I didn't know your father well, but he was the best patient I've ever known. He was always smiling and talking about you and he brightened all of our days at the hospital. He played checkers with us on our breaks and we really tried to help him get better, but…you know, sometimes it's just not meant to happen," she said in a tiny voice. Charlie hugged the nurse, choking out a soft 'than you' before she and Tommy left the scene. They drove back to her father's house, which was now practically empty. She packed all of her things into her bag and dragged it out to a taxi that was waiting at the curb. She'd changed into a pair of sweatpants and a tank top, which was underneath a hoodie Tommy had let her borrow and she intended upon keeping.

"Gimme a call when you get in safe," he managed to say. She gave him a half smile in response before giving him a big kiss so passionate that the cab driver felt he needed to look away.

"I'll try to visit if you do," she said when they finally broke apart. He let out a grunt in affirmation and she climbed into the back seat of the taxi and it pulled out and disappeared behind a corner.

About six and a half hours later, Tommy phone was ringing in his pocket as he was beating the stuffing out of a punching bag at the gym.

"Hello?"

"Hey…I'm back in my boring apartment safe and sound. I might be hard to reach for the next week or two because of non-stop rehearsals, though."

"It's cool. I got a lot to catch up on at work."

"Alright…well, I'll talk to you later, Tommy."

"Bye." He could hear the anguish in her voice. She was clearly both lonely and still grief-stricken. But, she had to go and there was nothing he could do about it now that she was almost seven hours away.

"You're shoulder all healed up, war hero?" Colt asked, appearing silently behind Tommy before he could get back to destroying the bag.

"Yeah…has been for a few weeks. Was just dislocated. Why?"

"Well, I was thinking about entering you in some fights if you're up to it. You'd get 75 percent of the prize money, the rest would go to the gym. It's a better deal than most would get. I think you'd bring some good publicity to this place. We could earn the money to fix it up a bit, too."

"Sure," Tommy said, turning back around to hit the bag.

"Great," Colt said, walking to the front desk and immediately picking up the phone. Tommy's schedule became ridiculously busy in almost an instant. He was entered in two fights a week. Most of them were pretty pathetic excuses for fights, exhibition matches and parking lot fights hosted by radio stations. A few were actual UFC fights, but those were few and far between. Even though Tommy had made a name for himself, his lack of theatricality was a bit of a downfall for him. UFC wanted to put fights on TV and people in seats. There wouldn't be much to watch with Tommy knocking people out in the first round and storming off.

In New York, Charlie was practically killing herself with rehearsals. She woke up at five every morning and went running, then had a small breakfast before reporting to the studio by seven. She was beginning to feel like the movie Black Swan wasn't as inaccurate as it seemed.

She would rehearse until one before she took a lunch break with a few of the others in the company, including her co-star in the showcase. Then, she was back in the studio at two and didn't get another break until seven when she went for dinner. Then, she went back to the studio to rehearse for another two hours before going home and collapsing on her bed. The only days she had off were Sundays. When she finally went for her costume fitting two weeks before the show, she'd lost about seven pounds.

During the fitting, she was wearing the pearl earrings Tommy had given her in high school and the director suggested she wear them for the show, as a sort of finishing touch to her costume to give the illusion of destroyed purity that Odile represents.

She and Tommy barely spoke, and when they did talk, it was only sporadic text messages where he would tell her how he had a fight one night and how he won. And she would tell him about how the rehearsals were going. It seemed almost formal, the way a couple would talk after breaking up and trying to stay friends. Charlie began to wonder if perhaps there was no use in thinking this could continue to work out from different cities so far away.

Tommy spent a good amount of his time in Philly visiting Brendan. With the money he was making from fighting again, he didn't have to work as many hours at the gym and could spend more time with his nieces.

"So, whatever happened with the girl, Tommy," Brendan asked, a week and a half after Charlie had left to go back to New York. They were sitting on the couch, each with a beer in hand as Tess was putting the two girls bed in the other room. A football game was on TV.

"I dunno, man. She's back in New York being a professional dancer and makin' all of her dreams come true." Brendan had gone to a few of Tommy's fights, and Tess had come along for one of them as well. They'd cheered and cheered and cheered as Tommy knocked out a defending heavyweight champion without much effort.

"So," Brendan pushed.

"So, what, man? I'm a fighter and I'm stuck in Pittsburgh fighting," Tommy said, staring blankly at the television.

"You know, Frank would kill to have you at his gym. He needs a new star now that I'm retired and his last star messed up his knee. And it would be nice if you could see the girls more often. They always ask about you. And, I mean, Philly is only two hours from New York City, after all. I mean…it's a win-win, right?"

"Shut up, Brendan," Tommy said, giving his brother an elbow to the ribs.

"You know, he's right, Tommy," came Tess's voice. "An apartment in this area would be much cheaper anyway. Frank could get you a lot more fights than Colt can. It could be a really good idea. You could even stay with us for a little while you're looking for a place to live."

"I'm not gonna fight to Mozart. And I don't need a trainer," Tommy protested.

"Just think about it, Tommy," Brendan urged. Tommy gave a grunt to say that he would think about it. Obviously, the idea made perfect sense. It was only Tommy's stubbornness getting in the way at this point. Philly would be a place where Tommy could get away from all of those bad memories of his mother dying and his father passed out drunk in an armchair, of Brendan bailing on him, of punching a hole through Charlie's wall. It would make perfect sense for Tommy to move to Philly.

"Did you say Uncle Tommy is gonna stay here?" came a sleepy voice. Tommy looked up to see Emily standing there in a nightgown, rubbing her eye with her tiny fist, a halo of blonde curls around her head. Tommy got up and picked the little girl up.

"I thought your mommy put you to bed, kid," Tommy said, smiling at the little girl. Emily nodded and threw her arms around Tommy's neck.

"She did," Emily said in a soft voice.

"So, why are you out of bed," Tess asked, but Tommy was already walking with Emily back to the girls' room.

"Are you really gonna stay here?" Emily asked as Tommy placed her back in her bed. Tommy shook his head.

"I don't think so, kid. But maybe," he said in a quiet voice. But it was too late, Rosie was awake now too.

"Move to Philadelphia. That's were me and Emily and mommy and daddy live and you can see us all the time. Please!" Rosie said eagerly. She kept her voice quiet though, not wanting Brendan and Tess to know she was awake.

"You two need to get back to sleep," Tommy said, giving them both a hug before leaving the room. From the hallway, he could overhear Brendan and Tess talking.

"He's your brother. He's their uncle and he only sees them but twice a month. They deserve to know him better than that and he deserves to know them, too. And you deserve a brother that you can actually spend time with. You have, like, no friends, Brendan. If Tommy were here then you could have more to do than just hang out at Frank's all the time."

"Tess, you know how Tommy is. He won't accept help from us or anyone for that matter. And Frank would love to have him, but Tommy has a tendency to wear people down. You know that. He gets on people's nerves after about ten minutes."

"He's made so much progress just since Sparta, though. And this whole girlfriend thing. It's gotta be good for him," Tess said, trying to maintain her whisper.

"Fine. Fine. I'll talk to him about it again." Tommy emerged from the hallway and both of them whipped their heads around to look at him, but he pretended to have not heard a word that was said.

"Think I'm gonna hit the road," Tommy said, pointing to the door. Brendan got up to walk him out.

"Seriously, Tommy, just think about it. If you don't want our help, you don't have to take it. You can find your own place and your own gym. But the girls really love seeing you and…so do I. I feel like I got my brother back from the dead these past few months and you wouldn't even have to do this for the girl. It can be for your family," Brendan said as they got outside.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah. I'll think about it," Tommy said, getting into his car. When he got home, it was after midnight and his phone lit up with a text from Charlie.

_Miss you. Almost miss Pittsburgh. Hope you're doing well. Sweet dreams._

He smiled at his phone before heading up the stairs to his apartment. It took a while for him to respond. He probably typed it and deleted it at least a dozen times before finally sending it at about two in the morning.

_I'm thinking about moving to Philly._

She didn't respond, which meant she was probably asleep already. She'd given him a minor run down of her schedule and it definitely seemed like she was about on the verge of working herself to death. The next morning, his phone buzzed him awake at five in the morning with a text from her:

_!_

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**A/N: **As always, please give me reviews. You guys are slacking on the reviews. How am I supposed to know what you want from me if you don't tell me? How do I know if I do a good job? How!? Anyway, hope you enjoyed it. Next chapter will include Charlie's dance thing.


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: Sorry for being slow on this update, but it will likely be a trend since my semester has started up again and I've become incredibly busy. I wish it wasn't the case. I wish I could just sit around and write all day, but unfortunately my job and classes and internship applications and newsroom shifts do take a bit of precedence. I hope you understand and don't hate me for it.**

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And I feel numb, beneath your tongue

Your strength just makes me feel less strong

But do not ask the price I paid,

I must live with my quiet rage,

Tame the ghosts in my head,

That run wild and wish me dead.

-Mumford and Sons: Lover's Eyes

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**Chapter 5**

Tommy began searching through apartment listings in Philly, but without much conviction. If he happened to see one or two while skimming the newspaper in the morning, he would make a mental note or rip out the page. But he didn't call anywhere and he didn't call his own landlord to let him know he would be dropping the lease. Tommy still wasn't sure if he wanted to move to Philly. As much as he would like to hasten the fixing of his relationship with his brother and be closer to his nieces and Charlie, he knew that leaving his father in Pittsburgh wasn't going to be an easy move. No matter how much shit the old man put Tommy through, there was still some loyalty there.

The morning after visiting Brendan, he called his father up and offered to see him for lunch. Paddy was shocked to hear from his son, to say the least, but he accepted the invitation eagerly. It was rare even still for either of his sons to want to spend time with him, and even rarer for them to invite him to do anything.

Tommy met Paddy at the diner his father always frequented. There was already two cups of coffee and an old man sitting at the table when Tommy arrived. It was clear that Paddy was sober again. Tommy wasn't sure for how long. It had been weeks, perhaps months, since he'd talked to him. But, he didn't look ragged or tired like he did when he was up all night drinking and listening to audiobooks.

"Tommy!" Paddy called, waving his hand in the air at his son as Tommy shuffled over the table, hands in his pockets and slid into the booth across from his father.

Paddy Conlon hadn't aged very well. Once upon a time, he'd been a force to be reckoned with. He had been a hulking muscular presence with dark eyes and a strong jaw, tall and terrifying. Now, his hair was grayish white and his face was covered in wrinkles that reflected his years of alcohol abuse and generally sour disposition. He'd changed a lot since Tommy had moved away with his mother.

Since Paddy had gotten sober, he seemed much happier, much more invested in his relationship with his children and trying very hard to start a relationship with his grandchildren. Brendan wasn't too keen on the idea, but steps were being made in the right direction and maybe some day Paddy would be able to be introduced to the little girls not as Mister Paddy, but as their grandfather. As of right now, the girls were too young to understand what was going on.

"You know, I was surprised to get your call, Tommy," Paddy said, smiling goofily across the table at his son. "What's new with you? How are things? I saw you on television a few days ago, a UFC match-up. It was incredible, Tommy. You're really a talent."

"I'm doin' alright, Pops. Brendan's good too," Tommy said, pulling a toothpick from the dispenser and sticking it between his lips.

"It's been weeks, Tommy. What's going on in your life?"

"I…uh…I think I might move out to Philly. Be closer to Brendan and the girls. But…uh…I don't wanna do that unless I know you'll be alright," Tommy managed to muster. It was hard for him to convey any sort of feelings, especially to someone like his father who had done nothing but stifle emotion with liquor for most of Tommy's life. But, Paddy's born again Christian thing had made him try to be a better father and, by extension, a more open man. Tommy, on the other hand, would always be closed and preferred to remain the strong silent type.

Paddy didn't respond, but just sat back and looked thoughtful. He imagined not much would change. If anything, it would change for the better. With Tommy in Philly with Brendan, there would be more opportunities for Brendan and Tommy's relationship to get better, but perhaps when Paddy could come visit Tommy, eventually Brendan would be open to seeing him as well. As it stood, Paddy rarely saw his sons anyway. It wasn't likely that a five hour drive would decrease the frequency of visits much.

"You look happy, Tommy," Paddy observed. It was a noticeable change. Tommy, who always looked so angry and closed, ready to walk out the door or throw a punch at any minute now smiled every once in a while, his brow was relaxed, his shoulders not tensed. It was a full body language 360.

"Well… I think I met someone," Tommy said, looking away from his father. He wasn't really in the mood to have this conversation. Hell, he was probably never in the mood to have this conversation.

"Oh?"

"Recently got back in touch with my old high school girlfriend. She was in town cause her old man was sick and he passed a few days ago. She's back in New York now, though 'cause of her job."

"I guess that's another reason you'd want to move to Philly," Paddy offered, looking almost hurt. For his sons' sake he wanted it to be about the two of them, not about some girl showing up in the picture. Like Tommy could ever be serious about a single girl on any long term basis.

"Naw, Pops. I mean it's a plus, sure. But we've only been seeing each other for like two weeks. It's not serious or nothin'. I like spending time with Rosie and Emily and Brendan. I think it would be good for me to get away from this place, too. Too many bad memories," Tommy said, realizing a split second too late that he'd said the wrong thing.

"I see," Paddy choked out. Tommy just looked down at his hands in the pockets of his jacket, waiting for his father to change the subject. "I'll be alright here, don't worry about me, Tommy."

"All I wanted to know, Pops."

"You got any fights coming up, Tommy? I'd like to come see you fight."

"Tomorrow night actually. It's a small one, but it's good money. You can get the details at Colt's. I don't remember where it's at."

The rest of the lunch passed mostly in small talk about Tommy's fighting career and his future, the weather turning colder and updates on Brendan and the girls. If this was the only channel through which Paddy could hear about his granddaughters, he would take the opportunity gladly.

After the lunch, Tommy headed to the gym to get back to practicing. But, in New York City, Charlie didn't have time to go out to lunch anymore. Her breakfasts consisted of a banana or an apple and a piece of toast and she wouldn't eat a thing until she got home at night. She never left the studios lately. Her dance partner was beginning to worry as her tight frame began to feel bony when he lifted her up during rehearsals. To stave off her hunger, she took a cigarette break every two hours and choked the thing down like she needed it to survive.

She was stressed, to say the least, but she was also dealing with grief still. Her friends in the company, her partner Louis, and even Tommy could tell she wasn't doing too great. Her text messages to Tommy were becoming more and more infrequent and Tommy began to catch himself worrying about her.

On the other hand, she had her routine down perfectly. She was sensual and flawless on the dance floor and when a journalist showed up at the studio to interview her and shoot photos of her rehearsing, the article he published called her "the next Anna Pavlova" which in the dance world was probably the highest compliment any ballerina could be given.

Three days before the final dress rehearsal and four days before opening, Charlie collapsed on stage from fatigue and hypoglycemia. She hadn't been eating nearly enough to fuel this ridiculous regimen. The director sent her home and told her not to come back until the next day and to start eating properly again. Charlie almost thought she would lose her spot.

"You won't be replaced, peach," the director cooed in her heavy French accent. "Remember, you're zee next Anna Pavolova. You're perfect in zis number and no one else could possibly do it if you ask me." Charlie hugged Miss Joubert and headed back to her apartment.

On the subway, she took out her phone and dialed Tommy's number, but didn't press call. She stared at the screen for about five minutes before finally hitting the button. The two rings felt like a lifetime of a wait before he answered.

"Charlie?" he asked into the phone, breathing a sigh of relief. "I haven't heard from you in like five days, what the fuck?"

"Sorry, I've been at the studio non stop."

"Why aren't you there now?"

"Don't worry about it," she said, her cheeks going bright red, even though she was on the phone. Her voice was both defensive and scared.

"You can tell me, Charlie. Something's wrong." She hated it when people worried about her or tried to take care of her in any way.

"I'm just taking a much needed day off," she said, the uncertainty in her voice incredibly obvious. It wasn't hard for Tommy to figure out that she'd been pushing herself too hard. Obviously, he didn't know the extent of just how hard she was pushing herself, but it was enough to make him worry.

"You gotta stop pushing yourself so hard, kid," Tommy said. Charlie noticed that he was whispering.

"Why are you whispering?" she asked.

"Oh…I'm about to go into a fight. I'm in the locker room now."

"Be careful. Let me know how it goes," she said, before hanging up without even a goodbye. Tommy stared at his phone wondering what was going on in that girl's head. It always amazed him how strong she was, but at the same time, he worried very much about how much that strength could hurt her. She had too much pride, too much rage. She didn't want anyone taking care of her because it made her feel weak and she hated people worrying about her. She'd always been that way.

As the day of Charlie's big performance loomed ever closer, Tommy began reorganizing his schedule. He wasn't one for sentimentality, but he did want to surprise her by showing up at the performance. And boy did he have a surprise for her. He stared blankly at the envelope sitting on his table with her name written on it. It had been given to Tommy by one of the nurses at the hospital after Charlie's father had passed away. Along with it was a note for Tommy.

_Tommy,_

_I won't pretend to ignore your presence in my daughter's life. I know the only way I can get this message to her is through you. Please give it to her on the night of her performance with the company. It would really mean a lot to me since I can't be there myself._

_Mr. McLane_

Tommy had stared at that note for hours, confused as to both how her father knew he was in Charlie's life again and what was in the letter to Charlie. But, Tommy had his own surprise for Charlie, that surprise being that his apartment search was going well and Frank had agreed to take him on at the gym and get him into fights with a more steady income than Colt was able to provide. Most of the fights were televised if not actual UFC fights. He would be moving to Philly in just a few weeks.

Tommy eventually settled on an apartment and had alerted his landlord to the fact that he would be moving shortly. Brendan took the responsibility of calling U-Haul to reserve a truck to get all of Tommy's things moved to Philly for him, which would be happening in just a few short weeks. In the meantime, Tommy was ridiculously busy with all of the fights Colt had signed him up for, trying to get the last bit of publicity for his gym before he lost one of his biggest stars.

Due to fight after fight, Tommy's shoulder, which had been badly dislocated during Sparta, had begun to cause him some trouble again. It didn't stop him from fighting, of course. Tommy needed the money for his move and the deposit on his new place in Philly. But, he was taking more and more ice baths and found himself incredibly sore in the mornings after fights.

Colt had put together an exposition match that would be televised between him and Mad Dog, which, of course, Mad Dog both dreaded and was in a tizzy about. The idea of reasserting himself at the top of the totem pole was always an opportunity that Mad Dog wanted. But, after taking two knockouts from Tommy already, he was unsure about his chances of ever being on the top of that totem pole again. Tommy had been given enough free tickets to give to Brendan, Tess, and Paddy. All of whom he invited to the event, making sure Paddy's ticket was situated well away from his brother and his brother's wife in the audience.

The fight was packed with marines and Mad Dog's fans. Tommy's fans were few and far between outside of the Corps. That didn't matter to him, though. He didn't do this for fans. He did it for income. The night before the fight, he got a phone call from Manny's widow, Pilar.

"Tommy, I saw that you were going to be doing a fight on TV and I wanted to wish you luck. I know we haven't talked for a while, but I am so proud of you and I know Manny would be, too. The kids and I will be cheering for you, Tommy. And tell your brother thank you so much for the money. And thank you too. We wouldn't be where we are now without your family," she said in her light Spanish accent.

"Don' worry about it. Thanks, Pilar. Give the kids my love. We should talk again soon," he said, a big smile appearing on his face that was unlike one he rarely showed. As he paced impatiently in the locker room before the fight, his phone vibrated in his pocket.

_I'll be watching_

Charlie had texted him. Strangely enough, it wasn't that late at night and she wasn't at rehearsals. Tommy shrugged it off. He hoped nothing was seriously wrong, but he knew that if there were, she would tell him.

Charlie had been sent home early again that day after she had a bit of a breakdown during a rehearsal and started yelling at her background dancers and her partner. The director told her to take another day off and that they'd get back to work in the morning after Charlie got her shit together and stopped losing it over this performance.

"It's important, for both zee company and your future with zee company," she'd said. "But it isn't worth your getting zis upset about it, Charlotte." Charlie had stormed out into the cold New York city air and rode the subway back to her apartment in a rage. She was sick of people trying to tell her to relax or just worrying about her in general. She had everything under control and she was totally caught up on everything she'd missed while she was in Pittsburgh. Granted, her weight had dwindled to under one hundred pounds, but that was no one else's business but her own.

As Tommy heard his name called and the silence that followed, eventually erupting into the Marine Corps Hymn, he marched out of the locker room and through the tunnel. Mad Dog was already in the octagon, bouncing around like a cracked out puppy dog. When Tommy reached the octagon, the referee stood between them, running through the rules and asking for a clean fight. The crowd was louder than any crowd Tommy had heard since Sparta. He could make out the outlines of his brother and sister-in-law in the front row across from him. As he had walked in, he heard his father's cheers from his own side.

The bell went off and Mad Dog danced around Tommy with a lack of grace reserved for a paraplegic grizzly bear, but he was fast. Regardless of his speed, he was predictable. He always bounced in the same spots and directions. It didn't take Tommy thirty seconds to land a hit that sent Mad Dog on his ass. It didn't knock him out, though. Since it was an exposition match, Tommy didn't feel the need to speed through it like the fights at Sparta or in the gym. He wanted to really enjoy pounding this cocky little bastard's face in. Mad Dog was back on his feet pretty quickly, trying to throw jabs at Tommy, who dodged them easily. The black eye on Mad Dog's face was already starting to show from Tommy's punch. Tommy landed another hit, this time to the side of Mad Dog's face. He distinctly felt a crack in Mad Dog's jaw as his fist connected with Mad Dog's cheek.

The crowd erupted into a combination of cheers and boos from the Marine Corps fans and Mad Dog's fans respectively. Tommy wasn't necessarily the fastest fighter in the ring and he didn't dance around it like a fairy, but he was good at dodging. By the end of the first round, Mad Dog had only landed two minor hits to Tommy's torso. Mad Dog, on the other hand, was in bad shape already: bruises showing up on a majority of his left side from Tommy's hooks and jabs, a black eye and a bruised cheek.

The fight was going exactly as Brendan had imagined it would. Tommy was playing with this kid and even though the audience couldn't necessarily see it, both Brendan and Mad Dog knew it. Both had fought Tommy before. Both knew the power he could put behind a single a punch and both knew that Tommy was barely trying at all.

As the second round bell went off, the two fighters moved back into the ring and a well-placed punch to Tommy's shoulder left him grimacing. Brendan was watching warily, wondering how much of a beating that already destroyed shoulder could realistically take. If Tommy was getting into trouble, would he just finish the fight or would he continue to let his pride get in the way.

"After I lay you out, that little number who showed up at the gym will be mine for the taking, Conlon," Mad Dog spat through his mouthguard. Tommy's eyes narrowed. "I bet she screams when she finishes. I bet she sucks dick better than any girl you've ever had." That was enough to set Tommy off and he threw one of those signature knockout punches at Mad Dog, landing him on his back as Tommy's fists fell on him without mercy. Left. Right. Left. Right. Left. Right.

The bell signaled the end of the round as the referee pulled Tommy off of Mad Dog. Mad Dog was still conscious, but he wasn't moving. No one had heard what he'd said except for Tommy. His rage seemed almost to have come out of nowhere to the audience. As Charlie watched it on TV, Tommy standing in his corner and practically shaking with rage as the medics popped onto the octagon, she realized that Tommy's temper would never truly be under control, that, despite all of the progress he was making in letting other people in and opening himself up, blind fury was still a very possible thing. It frightened her. But, at the same time, she knew that there was always a good reason behind Tommy's anger. Maybe not a justifiable reason for the way he acted, but always something that would set anyone off. Not everyone had the muscle and training to back it up the way Tommy did.

Eventually, Mad Dog was able to hoist himself back onto his feet with the help of Colt and one of the medics and was taken out of the ring, resulting in a win for Tommy. He stormed out of the octagon without so much as a victory fist pump and retreated back into the locker room.

_Jesus Christ, Tommy. What the fuck was that?_

His phone buzzed with a message from Charlie. He chose not to answer until he had calmed down. Within five minutes, Brendan was in the locker room with him.

"What happened? You were all fun and games one minute and then the next you looked like you were about to murder the guy."

"He said some shit," Tommy said, walking past his brother without looking at him.

"What kind of shit?" Brendan prodded, turning to look at Tommy who was facing away from him.

"Shit about Charlie," Tommy muttered.

"Wait…that girl? You really do care about her, huh? You could have killed that guy all because he said something about some girl you used to date in high school and are trying to resurrect a relationship with? You have feelings for her."

"Whatever," Tommy said dismissively. Brendan just laughed before heading out of the locker room. Maybe moving to Philly was a bad idea. Maybe it would make things all that much harder if it didn't work out with Charlie. Maybe it would complicate things. They hadn't even had any sort of discussion about exclusivity or relationships or anything like that. The only romantic connections they'd had so far were while she was in a state of mourning or drunk. She had a good life in New York. What good could come out of being with him? Tommy only felt himself growing more and more angry the more he thought about it.

On the day of Charlie's performance, Tommy got dressed up for one the few times in his life that he did. He had to borrow a pair of suit pants from Brendan, but they were a little bit long and scrunched up at his ankles. He even put on a blue button down and a tie that matched. He drove to New York from Philly, having spent the night before at Brendan's because they were still setting up Tommy's new apartment. He made sure he had the letter from Charlie's father and even picked up a bouquet of roses on his way there.

He was late to the performance. Just like in the good old days. Intermission was going on when he got there and he got a drink from the bar to kill the time until the end of the intermission. Everyone there was chattering animatedly about the new girl on the scene who was a hugely promising and would be the next star of the ballet scene, probably an international star. Tommy was curious, but not curious enough to ask someone. Then, he heard it:

"Charlotte McLane is her name. She's going to be the swan queen in their spring show, but this is her first starring role tonight," said a voice on the other side of the room. Tommy whipped his head around. Whoever was talking looked like she was important and had a heavy French accent and too much make-up. The lights started to dim, signaling the end of the intermission and Tommy found his seat in the front of the auditorium. It had cost a lot of money to get a seat in the center only three rows back, about four fights' worth.

Tommy watched most of the performances of the second part without interest, and then they announced Charlie.

"Our next performance is starring our newest prima ballerina in her first featured performance with the company. Please join me in welcoming Charlotte McLane as the black swan in an excerpt from Swan Lake and her dance partner, Louis Bellamy," said the announcer. The crowd applauded for a short second before the performance began.

Charlie appeared on stage looking magnificent in some black costume, dark feathers decorating her hair. She looked much thinner than the last time Tommy had seen her, though. She appeared from behind the cloak of a man dressed to look incredibly sinister, and her facial expressions were incredibly seductive. Her arms moved like water, a sly smile on her face as a prince danced towards her. Tommy was hypnotized by her, like the guy playing the prince was pretending to be. She was like magic. If Tommy had the ability to look around the auditorium, he'd be able to see that everyone else was just as hypnotized as he was.

Tommy could tell that she wasn't looking at the audience at all, and even if she was, they would be difficult to see with all of the lights shining on her. She was a presence on the stage, both sinister and sensual at the same time. She was incredible in all of her solos. In the whole dance. Tommy had never seen something so enchanting before and when it was over he almost wished it would go on forever. The entire room gave her a standing ovation as she took her bows, flowers being thrown to the stage. That was when she finally spotted Tommy and, combined with everything and all of her success, he could see her eyes start to well up with tears as she continued her bows before fleeing backstage on her tiptoes.

After the performance, Tommy waited out in the entryway for about thirty minutes before he finally saw her running towards him in sweatpants, her hair still pulled back into a tight bun, her make up still in place. She threw her arms around him so hard he almost dropped the bouquet of roses he had for her.

"I can't believe you showed up! I had no idea you were coming!" she said, burying her face in his shoulder as he picked her off her feet and spun her around. When he put her down, he could see she was on the brink of tears again. "It was amazing. I'm so glad you saw it."

"How could I miss it? And hey, I got a few things for you," he said, awkwardly thrusting the bouquet and the letter into her hands. He wasn't a big fan of all of this public affection and when he looked around, he saw that everyone was watching them and thinking to themselves how cute they were.

"What's this?" she asked, pulling the letter from her father out of the envelope.

_Charlotte,_

_I hope you know how proud I am of you. How much I love you and always will love you. I couldn't be a happier father. And it kills me – no pun intended – to know that I won't be able to see you dance professionally and star in a show. But I know you will be amazing, because you always are. You're the most incredible daughter a father could ask for. I gave this letter to Tommy to give you. I knew the two of you were seeing each other again. It's my job to know these things. I know, when you were younger, I wasn't his biggest fan. But, I think he's a much better guy than he lets on. And even though he has his flaws – everyone has flaws – he saw every single one of your performances while the two of you were dating. He just didn't want to draw attention to himself. That shows me more about the type of person he is than anything I could come up with. He cares about you, dearly. I've never been good at this whole thing. But, please know just how much I love you, how proud I am of you, and how much your mother missed out by not knowing you and the incredible woman you have become. _

_Your biggest fan,_

_Dad_

Charlotte was legitimately crying now and Tommy put his arm around her to guide her outside. The cold air hit them and she began sniffling in the dark New York City evening.

"When the fuck did he give this to you?" she choked out.

"About three or four days before. His nurse brought it to me," he responded as she threw her arms around him again.

"Thank you, Tommy," she whispered in his ear. He gave her a gentle kiss on the head before they headed off in the direction of her apartment a few blocks away.

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**A/N: As always, please review/subscribe/favorite and let me know what you like/don't like/want to see more of in the future.**

**Charlie's dance number is this one: watch?v=e6xhKxDGWqo**


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